Ronald James Bihner Jr.

Born December 13, 1944, in Long Beach, California, he later made his home in Anaheim, building a life defined by steady devotion, honest work, and a deep, abiding love for family and friends. In every season of life, he carried a warmth that put people at ease; often delivered with that familiar mischievous smirk and a sense of humor that could brighten even an ordinary day.

A graduate of Rancho Alamitos High School in Garden Grove, Ronald went on to earn a Bachelor of Arts in History from CSULB in Long Beach. His lifelong curiosity could be felt in the way he read widely and returned often to American history, not as a distant subject, but as something to be understood and talked about thoughtfully, plainly, and with the kind of honesty that made conversations with him feel real.

Ronald’s working life reflected who he was: hard-working, dependable, and quietly giving. In his early years he was a builder and remodeler, someone who knew the value of doing things the right way and seeing them through. For the last 20 years of his career, he served as a project manager for the OC Sheriff’s Department, maintaining the jails and sheriff facilities that demanded care, consistency, and a strong sense of responsibility, all qualities he carried with him naturally. He was also, in ways both spoken and unspoken, a mentor. Someone others could count on for guidance, steadiness, and a straightforward word when it mattered.

For more than 50 years, Ronald shared a devoted marriage with his wife, Alice. They met during Happy Hour while being introduced by Alice’s roommate, Addie, in July 1973—an origin story that always carried a little charm, and a reminder that life’s best connections sometimes begin in the simplest moments. Together they built a family anchored in love and care, and he was a proud father to his daughter, Sara Anne Rohm.

Ronald found joy in the good, grounding pleasures of everyday life being an avid reader, attending car shows, traveling, and sharing dinners with friends and family. He loved time outdoors, walking at the beach or at a park, and he delighted in card games, especially Canasta and 5 Crowns, where his humor and quick wit made the table a little livelier. Through it all, his kindness was unmistakable; steady, caring, and heartfelt, offered not for recognition, but simply because that was how he moved through the world.

Ronald is survived by his wife of 50 plus years, Alice Bihner; daughter and son-in-law, Sara and Jeff Rohm; sister, Jerilyn Sirois; sister and brother-in-law, Kathy and Richard Schwartz, Kimberly and Bryant Watilo; sister-in-law, Diane Fisher; aunt, Beverly Thomas; and numerous cousins, nieces, nephews, great nieces and great nephews, and countless friends. He was preceded in death by his father, Ronald James Bihner; and mother, Patsy Ruth Bihner.

In lieu of flowers, please make donations to the American Cancer Society (donate.cancer.org) and City of Hope (ourhope.cityofhope.org)