Ronald Constantine LaFace, 71, passed away on Friday, April 27, 2012, following complications from a recent stroke. Known as "Gator" to his granddaughter and "Uncle Face" to many of his nieces and nephews, he was born on July 4, 1940, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He was preceded in death by his mother, Alma Rose Marie LaFace, his father, Constatino "Costa" Joseph LaFace, and nephew, Samuel Randolph "Randy" Roberts. Randy is survived by his beloved wife Sara and their children Charlotte and Samuel.Ron attended and received undergraduate and law degrees from the University of Florida where he was a brother of the Phi Kappa Tau Fraternity and President of Florida Blue Key Leadership Honorary. He went on to serve as an attorney for the Judge Advocate General's Corps and was one of the founding members of Roberts, Baggett, LaFace, and Richard law firm. He continued to practice with his original partners and colleagues at the succeeding firm of Greenberg, Traurig, Hoffman, Lipoff, Rosen & Quentel (now known as Greenberg Traurig PA) until his illness in early 2012. Ron served as a founding member and the first chairman of the Florida Bar Administrative Law Section Committee, as well as provided service in leadership capacities to many other Florida Bar committees. He received recognition in numerous yearly editions of the "Best Lawyers in America" the oldest peer-review publication in the legal profession. Ron served as a longtime board member and chairman of the Leon County Civic Center and was instrumental in locating the Tallahassee Tiger Sharks Professional ice hockey team to Tallahassee where his son Chris even eventually signed a professional contract to play for the team on an as-needed basis. Ron however would be quick to tell you he was not in charge of attendance or recruiting for the team. He spent many years advocating for consolidation of Tallahassee area law enforcement agencies and represented Florida as a US Presidential elector. At the time of his passing, Ron was serving as a member of the Florida Chamber Board of Trustees, the University of Florida Law School Board of Trustees, and Florida Tax Watch Board of Trustees and Executive Committee. Ron was also a strong supporter for his alma-mater University of Florida Gators as a Bull Gator for the past 17 years.
Ron was known for his integrity, fairness, loyalty, and wit. He worked to instill his love for travel and experiencing the wonders of this world by organizing many family and friend excursions, both domestic and foreign. His passion for firework shows, whether as an observer or an organizer, was unmatched.Ron is survived by his sons Joseph Christian LaFace (Angela), Ronald Constantine LaFace Jr. (Ley Ann); granddaughter Annelise Pichard LaFace; sister Ida Marie Roberts; niece Rebecca Lynn Roberts; great niece Ciarra Marie Whindleton; and many other family, nieces, nephews, and friends who loved him dearly. Burial will be at 11:30 AM, Friday, May 4, at Roselawn Cemetery in Tallahassee, Florida. A memorial service will be at 1:00 PM the same day at Faith Presbyterian Church. In lieu of Flowers, donations may be made to the Randy Roberts Foundation, P.O. Box 2753, Lakeland, Florida, 33806, www.randyrobertsfoundation.org.
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