Jay "Ron" Ronald Stevenson

Jay Ronald “Ron” Stevenson (83) has passed from this life to be with his Lord, and be reunited with his beloved Rosalie who we lost this past March. He had developed a rare and very aggressive cancer, and survived only a few weeks after diagnosis. He died peacefully at the Levine Dickson Hospice House at Aldersgate in Charlotte, NC after being surrounded by friends and family.

Ron was born Dec. 6, 1942, to MK and Lorine Stevenson in Lake Wales, Florida. That’s about as far as we can go just speaking of Ron, because in the 3rd grade he met Rosalie Smith, his best friend’s sister, who would become the absolute love of his life. From here on, the story really is about the two of them. Ron graduated from Lake Wales High and started college at the University of Florida. He was not happy there because Rosalie was at Florida State. After 2 years, they decided to marry and did so on December 30, 1962, after which Ron transferred to FSU. He graduated with a degree in Mathematics, and began his career working for the State of Florida. In the meantime they had their first son, Anthony Jay (Tony) in 1963. Their second son, Robert Allen (Bob), came soon after in 1965.

Ron was working in the very early stages of computers, programming giant main frame computers with punch key cards that took up half a floor. His work took them from Tallahassee to Orlando Fla., Charlotte NC to Columbia SC, and back to Charlotte in the early 1970s. They saw the birth of their third son, Jeffrey Dean (Jeff) in 1969, and their only daughter (finally!), Thalia in 1978. Ron and Rosalie and family remained in Charlotte until Ron’s career took them to Lexington, SC in 1993. After 15 years of service there, he retired from the State of SC in 2008. They sold their 10-acre horse farm in SC and moved back to Charlotte in 2020, where they continued to dance, sing, meet new friends, became active in their HOA, and enjoyed retirement.

Ron grew up a gifted athlete playing multiple sports, including High School basketball. He spent many hours in the back yard teaching his kids how to throw everything, catch, kick and hurl, even helping us learn the “Fosberry flop!” He was a master frisbee thrower and was always in pursuit of the perfect football spiral! He worked very hard at golf, and was a high 70s shooter for most of his adult life. Ron was very musically talented. He played the cornet in his high school and college marching bands, played the piano, guitar, and mountain dulcimer. He had a wonderful singing voice as well, singing in many church choirs and community choruses. One of his greatest joys was singing Handel’s “Messiah” every year. He had the whole thing memorized eventually! Ron was also a fantastic dancer, from line dancing to square dancing. In South Carolina they took up shag dancing, even taught lessons, and could really “cut a rug!”

Ron and Rosalie were very faith based people. Their deep, abiding belief in Christianity was a driving force in their life. It influenced every facet of their lives, and was a huge part of their devotion to each other. They were always very active in their churches, teaching Sunday Schools, helping with youth groups, and participating in services. They also spent many years with volunteer groups doing home repairs and construction work throughout regions of Appalachia.

One of Ron’s favorite pastimes was watching old Westerns, Clint Eastwood movies, Gunsmoke, and Perry Mason. These shows reminded him of a simpler time, when the bad guy always “got what he had coming.” Most nights, he would also ritualistically scoop himself a bowl of plain vanilla ice cream. This is what his grandma, Mrs. Oma Guin of Lake Wales, used to give him as a kid - just a “dab o’ ice cream.”

Ron had no quit in him. His level of stick-to-it-ive-ness in order to solve any problem, research a thing, and get to the bottom of it, was unmatched. Even at 83, he was the point person in their condo building for all things technical and maintenance. You could always count on Ron to take care of things. During his career, he would often work late nights, weeks on end, to ensure a software program he had built from scratch would operate flawlessly for decades, even after his departure. Once retired, he and Rosalie drove around the country, sometimes in their RV, to Colorado, Tennessee, Utah, New Jersey and more, to spend time with kids and grandkids. Ron and Rosalie always made each other laugh; they were quite the pair. His perseverance and stamina was something superhuman during the seven months from the time Rosalie got sick and after her passing, in order to complete their end of life logistics. Despite exhaustion and grief from losing the love of his life, he continued to check things off, get to the end of the list, and make sure to see grandkids Jay and Shep graduate high school. Rosalie had wanted so badly to be there. In July 2026, during his short one week hospital stay, he was basically managing his own care plan, challenging doctors’ orders, calculating all medication dosages himself, on and on.

Ron had a strong mind, always with undercurrents of humor and delight, an extraordinary talent for details, unwavering determination, and a deep love and adoration for family.

Dad, we will forever miss the astounding and hilarious noises you, and nobody else, could make, and the silly phrases you would say over and over again to make us all laugh on those 13 1/2 hour road trips to Florida in our 1973 VW bus twice a year. And the way you would laugh at the ridiculous tales from your kids and grandkids, we know how much you loved to hear our stories. Your gracious, selfless and loving care for Mom, Rosalie, at the end of her life was an inspiration to us all, and we know how much your children, grandchildren and great grandchildren all meant to you. Rest in peace Ronnie, Ron, JR, Dad, Daddy, Daddy-o, the Dadder, Pops, Grandpa, and Paw Paw Ron. You were an unbelievable husband, provider, father, in-law, friend, teacher, caregiver, uncle, brother, grandpa and great grandpa. May you go with God and please tell Mom “hey” and give her a big hug from all of us…we will miss you both tremendously.

Jay Ronald “Ron” Stevenson was preceded in death by his father Maurice Killian “MK” Stevenson, mother Lorine Guin Stevenson, sister Marsha Stephany, and wife Rosalie Ethel Smith Stevenson.

He is survived by four children Anthony “Tony” Jay Stevenson (wife Stephanie Sheppard Stevenson) of West Orange NJ, Robert “Bob” Allen Stevenson of Charlotte NC, Jeffrey “Jeff” Dean Stevenson of Charlotte NC, Thalia Rose Stevenson of Fort Collins CO, five grandchildren Ryan William Hirniak of Pageland SC, Amanda Rose Hirniak Davidson (husband Brent) of Lewisburg TN, and Jay Franklin Stevenson, Sheppard “Shep” Anthony Stevenson, Max Joseph Stevenson all of West Orange NJ, and great-grandchildren James Michael Davidson and Emma Rose Davidson of Lewisburg TN.

The Stevensons will send news of a later service date to celebrate and honor Ron.

In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to Ron’s favorite place on Earth, Bok Tower and Gardens of Lake Wales, Florida.

https://boktowergardens.org/donate/