US ARMY VETERAN Louis Ronald Wehlitz, beloved husband, father, grandfather, beer connoisseur, teller of dirty jokes, and baseball cap model passed away on January 9, 2014. Cause of death was 70 years of life lived as he wanted to live it, unsolicited health advice and Surgeon General's warnings be damned. He did it his waaaayyyy.... The only child of Ludwig and Sophia Wehlitz, who he now joins in death along with his faithful black labrador companion Elmo. Born and raised in New York City, he turned down baseball and basketball scholarships to St. John's University to instead join the Army and go to Europe, where he had traveled frequently with his father as a child. He served most of his time in Berlin in a heavy artillery division, guarding the western side of the then-being-constructed Berlin Wall, and had stories of helping people trying to escape to the west under gunfire. He also had other great stories of adventure and shenanigans from this time, including at one point winning a sports car in a card game. As he summed it up: he hated being in the Army, but had a helluva time serving. If you worked with him you might have known him as Lou, but to friends and family he was always Ron. His career took him to many locations throughout the U.S., working on major electrical engineering and construction projects building structures as diverse as power plants and the World Trade Center Twin Towers that would later be destroyed on 9/11. Some of us have memories of him taking us to the roof of one of the towers before the buildings were open to the public (not sure whether that was actually allowed at the time, but between the statute of limitations, the evidence being destroyed, and the fact that Ron's no longer with us, we can now safely tell the tale). Ron loved to be on the water, and was probably happiest with a fishing pole in one hand and a cold beer in the other. Having lived throughout the country he got to experience this from the deck of his own cabin cruiser on the Long Island Sound, his ski boat on the James River, the great Columbia River, on countless lakes and streams in between (most recently Brookville Lake, where he had a summer place), and via charter boats, surf casting, and pier fishing in the Atlantic. The Outer Banks of North Carolina became his favorite destination in later years, and is where he requested a portion of his ashes to be spread. Huatulco, Mexico was another recent favorite place where he enjoyed the Pacific and visiting his newest granddaughter. Ron was spoiled by growing up on European beers and New York's cuisine, and was forever searching for a great beer, good Italian or Chinese food, and the ever-elusive decent loaf of bread or pizza outside of NYC. Like a great loaf of bread (you're not from New York? You wouldn't understand...) he was often a little hard and kinda crusty on the outside, but soft and warm on the inside. That damn mutt was secretly his best friend. He couldn't care less about the Reds , but he rarely missed a broadcast. He might bark at the grandkids not to run in the house or leave the door open, but there was also a twinkle in his eye whenever he saw them. As a father you might describe him as old-school German influenced... demanding and a firm disciplinarian, but also funny and giving. He always provided well for the family, not only in terms of financially and providing private schooling, etc., but also by coaching baseball and basketball teams, and for that we will always be grateful. Ron chose to leave this life as he lived it: on his own terms. At his request there will not be a funeral or visitation, we will instead celebrate his life on his birthday, July 4, which in perfect form this year will make for a three-day weekend fiesta. You can expect a lot of beer, and we'll try our hardest to replicate his famous grilled ribs. Ron is survived by his wife Kathleen, daughter Danielle, sons Dennis (Amy) & Paul (Viry), grandchildren Christopher, Andrew, Bradley, Nathan, Hagan, and Elle Sophia, and great-granddaughter Summer. We'll all miss him. In lieu of flowers, the deceased requested that donations be made to the St. John Church Society of St. Vincent dePaul. www.stjohnwc.org. (Please include your name and address for the Wehlitz family in the comments section.) Donations may also be mailed directly to St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church, 9080 Cincinnati-Dayton Road, West Chester, Ohio 45069.
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