Ronald Lee Pizel

Ron passed peacefully in his sleep on Wednesday, April 30, 2025.

A service to celebrate his life will be held in Atlanta, Georgia, on May 19 at 11 AM at Mt. Bethel Church in Marietta.

Ron is survived by his wife, JoAnn Brown Seabrook Pizel; his son, Sean Pizel, and daughter-in-law, Karen Pizel; his grandchildren, Wesley and Erin Pizel; his sister, Linda Marmie, and her husband, Jerry; and the Seabrook family, and his beloved dog, Piper.

Ron grew up in the tiny town of Kanorado, Kansas — population 180 — before heading west to teach carpentry in California. He eventually built a career in aircraft manufacturing at Lockheed Martin. Weekends often found him aboard his boat, the Ron-A-Bob, where he spent hours with family and friends on the water.

In 1991, he moved to Atlanta with Lockheed, where he met JoAnn, his real estate agent and the love of his life.

Ronnie was a craftsman at heart. Among his proudest projects were the cabins he built in Blue Ridge, his toy chests for his grandchildren, and the relationships he nurtured through his faith and his community at Mount Bethel Church.

Though he sometimes wore a gruff demeanor (his grandchildren once told their school his “grandfather name” was Grumpy), he was cherished as a source of unwavering guidance and support.

Ron's passions included hunting in the North Georgia Mountains, fishing in Oregon, hiking in Appalachia, skiing in Colorado, cooking in chili competitions, and talking a bit too much while playing cards with friends and family.

In his final days, he often spoke of returning to Kanorado to help his mother, Marjorie, with chores, his father, Herb, with the harvest, and to play with his twin brother, Donnie, who passed away when they were just four years old.