Let me tell you somethin’ (as Ron would say) … Born at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City, Ron was the youngest of two. He and his sister Barbara are the children of Katherine and Louis Pizzella. They spent just a few years in Teaneck, New Jersey, before moving to South Florida, the place Ron would always call home.

As a child, Ron always tried to be helpful and always captured everyone's attention. Whether it was when he had no idea that cars didn't run on water and decided to fill all the cars he could find with a water hose, thinking he was doing everyone a favor, or trying to bake a cake for his mother, only to start a fire and put the entire neighborhood on edge. Ron was so helpful, his parents made sure to send him to the best place possible: to his grandparents in the Bronx, where he would spend summers enjoying an eventful childhood… pulling fire alarms in the streets (while hiding from the police, trying not to get caught), and going into neighbors' freezers to take ice cream and enjoy it with friends (believe it or not, he did have permission).

Ron grew up in Hallandale, Florida, where he attended Saint Matthew's Catholic School. But he'd tell you his real education came from working for his father at Lou's Market, the family's grocery business. At 12, he started working after school, naturally where anyone should honestly start… at the bottom, scrubbing toilets and cleaning floors. After graduating from South Broward High School, Ron worked seven days almost every week at Lou's Market, from early morning to night, doing anything and everything his father asked and the store demanded. Doing it all with just one good eye (that’s what happens when as a kid you decide to put a firecracker into something it doesn’t belong in)! And even though he always seemed to have to do the jobs nobody else wanted to do (but they had to be done), like having to butcher the chickens, Ron never complained… (but this is why Ron never really liked eating chicken as an adult, who could blame him?).

Ron and Barbara's incredibly hard-working parents and grandparents instilled in them both a world-class work ethic. But their parents worked so hard they never really took vacations. This led Ron to, when he had his own family, be sure to take frequent vacations (and led Barbara to travel the world many times over). He traveled every year with his family to the Great Smoky Mountains to see snow and roast marshmallows in a log cabin (except one time, when Ron and his young son tried to venture through 4 feet of snow in a blizzard… 5 hours later, no marshmallows). And he made it a point to go to Hollywood Beach every single Sunday with Sue, the mother of his children, and their kiddos Joseph and James. On family road trips, they would drive hours and hours to antique shops and swap meets across the southeastern states to collect '50s and '60s Coca-Cola vending machines (usually the rusted and broken ones). Ron (of course) fully restored the 10+ Coke machines he found over the years to just-like-new… making them into the coolest (literally ice cold) living room furniture ever.

As a father, Ron was incredibly generous and always showed up to every single event the kids had. His example and actions were pivotal in showing them both what to do and what not to do, in his own special way. Even though Ron often had to work incredibly hard to make ends meet early in life, he always found a way to make sure Joseph and James were taken care of. His foresight made sure both kids got a new truck (with insurance paid!) at 16, and for college, Ron made sure tuition and housing were paid for so his kids wouldn't start their adult life in debt. Along the way, on special occasions, he even found a way to host his family at the nicest of fine dining restaurants, since as a kid, Ron rarely went out to restaurants ('cause he would always spill the drinks on the table!).

Ron never wanted to take orders from anybody (although he was always open-minded, as long as what you said made sense). And if you didn't have common sense, forget about it. This meant Ron was always going to be in business for himself. Ron was a one-man-band entrepreneur all of his life. After selling Lou's Market in the late 1980s, with his mother Katherine retiring at the same time, Ron started a carpet and upholstery cleaning business, running it as the owner-operator. Simultaneously, he acquired and maintained 13 apartment units in five buildings (and did so for 35 years). Ron's tenants loved him as much as he appreciated them, always praising him, saying, "No other landlord responds as quickly as Ron to fix what needs to get fixed!"

Always ahead of the times and technology, Ron always had the latest gadgets. He had car phones before anyone else. He bought the first VCR and the huge block cell phones when they first came out. He was automating lights and widgets in his home 20 years ago, before anybody knew what that even was. Ron even installed his own alarm and camera systems in his homes. His first car was a Ford Mustang, followed by a Mercury Cougar, an orange Corvette, and another Cougar (he obviously liked the Cougar better than the ’Vette!). Many years later, he constantly praised his favorite car of all time: his Tesla (the one that drives itself!). Every time he rode in the Tesla he said, "This car never ceases to amaze me" (yes, he really said it every time)!

And when we say Ron fixed everything, he fixed everything: from air conditioners, to sinks, to toilets, to building a concrete block shed, to hand-digging a drain field and building a septic tank, to building a 200-foot wooden fence, to changing his own car’s oil… he did it all himself, because he had to (he couldn't afford to hire people to do it). And if there was anybody that ever needed something done around their house, friends and family would call Ron to say, "Who do I get for this?" or "How do I make sure they do a good job?" And when he was fortunate enough to get to a place in which he could afford to pay people to do it, he was so grateful and relieved, he would encourage other people to do the same.

Nothing was ever impossible to Ronald. Anytime anyone, including himself or anyone around him, came to him with a problem, a question, an idea, he would immediately try to help and figure it out. But, unlike the hose that wasn’t gas and the cake that caught fire, it was always done the right way… not because it was Ron’s way, but because it was the way that delivered the highest quality with the solve that would be the most reliable in the long run. And anything he couldn't figure out, he Googled it and YouTubed it and studied all the different ways it could be done, then would find someone that ‘knew’ how to do it to pick their brain… to determine ‘the right way’. Ron always said that he needed to make sure he knew as much as he could about what needed to get done, so that he could make sure it was done right. Mainly because, as he would say, "Even though someone says they know what they're doing, it doesn't always mean they know what they're doing."

Ron loved making people happy. He loved helping people solve problems and prevent issues that cause headaches… anything that would get them to that good ’ole peace-of-mind. And if he personally could help, he would do it without hesitation and without question, no matter who it was: a neighbor, a friend, a family member, anyone. He would drop what he was doing and want to go right away (whether the person was ready for it or not)! Ron always wanted to be able to say "we got something accomplished!"

Ron's can-do attitude, however, wasn't working so well when it came to finding the love of his life, Christine. The lovebirds met on Match.com just as Ron was about to cancel his subscription. Christine winked at him, he winked back. They decided to meet, and Ron gave her the wrong address. When she showed up, he wasn't there. For some reason (God only knows), she called him and didn't just leave! He apologized profusely, gave her the right address, and she said she would be right there. From that moment, he knew she was the one.

Over 18 years, Christine and Ron built a beautiful life together. They traveled to Alaska, the Grand Canyon, Seattle, New Orleans, New York City, Virginia and frequently to visit cousins and Christine's family in Long Island, New York. A true romantic, Ron always made sure he and Christine went out on date night at least once a week, just the two of them. And he would buy her flowers on a weekly basis (true story)! Together they loved hosting parties, going out to dinner and cooking for friends in their community, Venetian Isles, where good times were always happening. Ron and Christine cooked everything together. Well, he'll tell you Christine cooked everything, but he was an exceptional cook himself… roasting meats, making pizzas, brewing coffee, making special requests for baked goods (like crumb cake, pineapple squares and Georgia peach cobbler) from Christine. Any of you on Facebook can attest to this. Christine got Ron into bowling (which he loved!), joining multiple leagues and making great friends. Ron got good… but Christine was better (he always said so, too!). And don't dilly-dally on the lanes, or he'll just tell you to "Shut Up & Bowl."

God has always been a big part of Ron's life. Some years, he went to church every single day (not exaggerating). Every meal started with grace, and "Thank you God" was his favorite saying. And to Ron, family is everything. He absolutely loved his family. Ron, his sister Barbara, and Christine would spend every holiday together. Brothers and sisters have a special relationship, but this one was truly one of a kind. As children, Barbara always did what she could to protect her younger brother, especially while he was trying to be so ‘helpful’. One time she tried to hide a baseball-sized hole Ron put through her bedroom door with a big '60s flower sticker, and tried to convince the wisest woman on earth (their mother Katherine) it was a good idea to keep the sticker there… neither effort was successful (and Barbara, why did he throw a baseball through your door?!). As wise adults (they learned from the best), the Pizzella kids gained such a level of deep appreciation and respect for one another, it's difficult to put into words.

One of the most challenging days for Ron was the day he retired. Ron loved to work, and this meant taking it easy, which, for any one of you that know Ron, was not very easy to do. He always needed to be doing something. Even in retirement, Ron seemed to always find ways to work, instead, by helping others, house sitting for snowbirds, creating the biggest and brightest Christmas display in the neighborhood, and other great things smart husbands do, like always saying "yes" to their wife.

Recently, Ron found a new sense of calm, like he had never experienced before, and it was one of the most beautiful things to experience, for him and his family. God gives us gifts every moment of every day, and Ron finally used the gift to choose peace and let go of stress, a beautiful lesson for all of us. Ron always did it his way, that's for sure.

Most things in life never happen at the ‘right time,’ or better said: when we want them to. Some things never should have to happen at all. Ronald Louis Pizzella… Christine's husband, Barbara's brother, Mylo's dogfather, Joseph & James' dad… passed peacefully at home. During which, the sunrise shined its radiant Light directly on him (yes, literally… it was beautiful). He is now free from all nonsense of the physical world, and in the Light of God… for which we are all Blessed and Grateful.

Let me tell you somethin’ … Energy never dies, it only changes form. Ron's uniquely vibrant energy, kindness, generosity and Love live on forever… now in our Heart (closer than ever). 💗

Thursday, October 1st from 4pm - 8pm we'll be hosting the visitation wake @ Boynton Memorial Chapel, 800 Boynton Beach Blvd, Boynton Beach, FL 33426

Friday, October 2nd at 11am we're celebrating mass at the church Ron and Christine attended. Feel free to join us @ Saint Matthew Catholic Church, 6090 Hypoluxo Rd, Lake Worth Beach, FL 33463

In lieu, of flowers, please consider making a contribution to St. Jude Children's Hospital in Ronald's memory. Thank you all for your continued love and prayers. God Bless You! 🙏🏻😇🕊️