After a nine-year courageous battle with liver cancer, Ronald Lawrence Posselli went on to be with his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ on Sunday December 1st. With the loving care and assistance of his life’s partner Cindy, Ron battled cancer and won, but in the end, he just ran out of gas.
Ronald was born on August 13, 1942 to Lawrence D. and Fina Y (Chiodo) Posselli in the Old Italian neighborhood of Salt Lake City and was raised there and on the East side. He attended East High School excelling in academics and athletics in tennis and wrestling. He continued his education at the University of Utah while working for the State of Utah graduating with a Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting. He rapidly rose to positions of increasing responsibility with the State eventually attaining to the position of Utah’s Director of Motor Vehicles. In 1987, after 27 years of dedicated service, Ronald retired at the ripe old age of 44 (believed to be the youngest executive to retire from the State). Unwilling to accept a life of leisure, Ronald accepted a position with R L Polk & Company in Cincinnati Ohio to work on the development of the system which would eventually evolve into the Auto Pass highway vehicle weighing system. After 5 years in Ohio, Ron and Cindy returned to Salt Lake City where he continued to work remotely for an additional three years eventually retiring for the last time in 1995.
Above all, Ronald loved his family. He was a dedicated son, father and grandfather. Ronald and Cindy’s return from Cincinnati was precipitated by the need to care for his aging parents. They enjoyed dinner with his parents weekly and after Ron’s mother passed in 2003, they took his now blind father into their home where they nurtured and loved him until he passed in 2004. Ronald extended the same love to his children and grandchildren. He and Cindy supported their children’s needs in many ways throughout the years. They truly believed that parents work is never done.
In addition to being a very talented employee and dedicated family man, Ron had numerous other talents and interests. Above all, he had incredible drive to learn and grow to achieve his chosen projects with great skill. He was a perfectionist always working to do the best. He and Cindy worked together on everything. He built the kitchen cabinets in their home in Sandy from a workshop that would be the envy of “Tim the Toolman”. He always had the most and biggest tools you could ever imagine.
Ron loved electronics. He absolutely had to have the newest and most advanced and most powerful big-screen televisions, home theatre, laptops, tablets, notebooks and mobile phones. He worked continuously up to his death to improve the integration of his electronic toys to operate the entertainment heating, cooling, lighting and security of both of their homes in Sandy and Mesquite Nevada. Amazon loved Ronald Posselli. As his physical capabilities decreased, he kept his mind active buying and installing new electronics and gadgets.
Ronald and Cindy spent the winter months in Mesquite for the past 12 years where they had many close and loving friends. They loved to hold dinners and parties of all kinds and sizes for friends and family. Their Super Bowl and Final Four parties were among the favorites of all who attended. Ron developed a love for golf. Truth be said, Ron wasn’t a very good golfer, but he was a great golf ball hunter. There was no hill too high or water too deep to keep Ron from retrieving that lost golf ball, his and others. His fellow golfers would often have to wrestle Ron away from his quest to avoid the ire of the foursome behind them. Ron also liked to make sports bets at the local Mesquite casinos. In the early years, Ron would stretch a $5 bet to cover his interest over an entire weekend of games. He was the master of the multi game parley. He studied the teams with a great zeal and in minute detail. We can still recall Ron and his cousin Craig pouring over their NCAA Final Four spreadsheets on the patio in Mesquite. Ron continued his betting activity up until his death. He and his son Bryan developed a list of bets and called them down to their Mesquite “runner” on the Friday night before he passed.
Ronald passionately loved his wife and partner-in-crime Cindy who brought levity, laughter and some semblance of balance to his life. They did everything together as true partners for over thirty years. He was especially grateful for her devotion and dedicated unfailing care and support during the duration of his illness.
In addition to his loving wife Cindy, Ronald is survived by his children Michelle Posselli, Todd (Yovana) Posselli, Bryan (Deborah) Posselli, Bryan (Michele) Smith and Stacey (Nate) Tatom, 15 grandchildren, 8 great grandchildren and his brother-in-law Charles Westbrook. Besides his parents, Ronald was preceded in death by his caring and nurturing “big sister” JoAnn Westbrook and two grandchildren.
Funeral services for Ronald L. Posselli were held at Larkin Downtown Mortuary, 260 E. South Temple, Salt Lake City on December 6th. The Mass of Christian Burial was offered at St.Patrick’s Catholic Church, 1040 W. 400 South, Salt Lake City on December 7th followed by internment in the family crypt at Mount Calvary Cemetery. A memorial service will be held in Mesquite, Nevada at a later date yet to be determined.
The family would prefer donations in Ron’s name be directed to the American Cancer Society or St. Jude’s Children’s Hospitals in lieu of flowers.
