Obituary of Ronald William Dugger

Eulogy of Ronald William Dugger: from September 14, 1941 to December 15, 2019 Ron Dugger was born in 1941 in Savannah, Georgia. He was the first son of Dorothy and William Dugger. He was followed by his brother Jack, and by his youngest sister, Sandy. When they were young, their parents divorced, and after 14 years of age, they all moved from their mothers care to live thereafter with their father. Ron joined the United States Navy after high school, and was both a reservist and also on active duty as a Navy Corpsman Medical Technician, until December 1964 at US Naval Air Station, Grosse Ile, Michigan. He was honorably discharged from service. He met his wife of 44 years, Charlotte Ann Bailey, while he was enlisted. They met at a dance attended by service enlistees, as reported by them. They married on December 7, 1963 at Gross Ile Naval Chapel, and had their wedding reception at the family home in Gibraltar, Michigan. Ron had three children, in order of birth; Sheryl, Barry and William. Barry passed away in 2018 of cancer. Ron is survived by his elder daughter Sheryl Shelly, currently residing in Tucson, Arizona and his youngest son, Bill Dugger, who resides in Henderson, Nevada. Ron also has 5 grandchildren in birth order, Barrys children: Shawn and Kristi. Sheryls children: Jarod, Samuel and Sierra. Ron worked his way up to middle management at BASF Chemical Corp. while attending college on the GI bill; and he continued to work there until he retired in 1994. He enjoyed the outdoors and took delight in camping, enjoyed fishing and also sailing. He became an avid hiker and maintained national trails as a volunteer. He learned to scuba dive and spent many years diving near many of the islands and shores in the western hemisphere. His overriding passionate hobby was photography which he honed over the years behind the camera and in the darkroom. He was inspired by technology and his photography skills were further enhanced by computer imaging and storage. His favorite camera subjects were the beauty of nature, old bridges and endless photographs of family, children and grandchildren. He also did several wedding packages for a few lucky couples. After retirement, Charlotte and Ron came back to the Michigan area when Chars parents became older and needed assistance. They also cared for their sister Paula who lived in the same home. Ron worked as a substitute teacher in the Michigan public schools and travelled with his wife, as they could. They were both active in the church where Ron was also a favorite Sunday school teacher. He served in churches both in New Jersey and in Michigan where he has served as an usher, a deacon, and a spiritual brother, father and grandfather to a large number of friends who became part of his personal adopted family. Rons wife passed when he was aged 66, leaving him a widower for the last 12 years of his life. Ron never remarried but had several devoted friends and a church family at Gibraltar Bible Baptist Church. He continued to care for and partially support his sister Paula for another 12 years. When Ron was diagnosed with stage 4 Mesothelioma on July 21, 2017, he pursued looking after his condition with the same vigor and self-reliance he had always possessed. His energy was spent advocating for himself for the best healthcare, by making numerous trips to Boston for a dangerous surgery and the several chemo treatments that followed over the next two years. Those two years were sometimes tiring, sometimes painful and sometimes sad but other times joyful as he divided his time between his healthcare efforts and his always ready availability to dear friends, his love for the Lord Jesus Christ, his savior, and for his church. On December 15th, at 5:19 pm, Ron took his last breath in Beaumont Hospital, Trenton. He died of complications of infection of his already weakened lungs that did not respond to antibiotic treatment. He was surrounded, in his final hours, by family and friends as he passed into the presence of the Lord and from this life at the age of 78. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Age 78. Loving husband of the late Charlotte Ann. Dear father of Sheryl (Frank) Shelly, William Gene and the late Barry Ronald. Beloved grandfather of Sierra, Samuel, Jarod, Shawn and Kristi. Ronald was a very faithful and active member of the Gibraltar Bible Baptist Church . He served as a deacon and taught Sunday School. He was also an avid photographer. A memorial service will be held Friday, December 20, 2019 at the Gibraltar Bible Baptist Church, 29321 Fryer Dr., Gibraltar, MI 48173. The viewing will begin at 6:00 PM followed by the service at 7:00 PM.