Ronald Allan Shadduck, 79, was born April 30, 1936 in Portland, OR to Frances Turner. With the exception of a few months in Eugene, Ron and his mother lived in Portland with his Norwegian grandmother until his parents Harry Shadduck & Fran married at the end of WWII. After only one year in Butte, MT, his family returned to Portland where Ron lived until moving to Boring, OR in 2001. He attended Whitaker Elementary for Kindergarten, Holy Redeemer Catholic School for 1st grade and Ockley Green Elementary to finish his primary education. He attended Jefferson High School, graduating in 1954. In high school he ran track and served as captain of the school group that helped plant the Memorial Forest in the Tillamook Burn Area. He then attended Oregon State University.
In 1955 Ron worked for the Portland Parks Bureau, building the trails in Forest Park. At the age of 19, he was employed by Armour Meat and would work there for 16 years. He enlisted in the US Army Reserves in 1958 and was honorably discharged as Staff Sgt in 1964. In 1960, he married Janice Rich and started his family; son Jim and daughter Sherri. In 1970, Ron married Raye Bishop and they added their daughter Rebecca to the family. In 1971 he went to work for the USDA as a Federal Meat Inspector; a job he would enjoy until he retired in 1997. During his working years, he was an officer of the AFL-CIO Butcher's Union and president of AFGE Local #1188.
He started his Fraternal life in 1951 joining Mt Hood DeMolay. In 1957 he served as Master Counselor, was a state officer and was awarded the Chevalier Degree. He joined the Mt Hood Masonic Lodge 157 in 1970 and was Worshipful Master in 1980. He was a 35 year member of Mt Hood Chapter 144, now Friendship Rose Chapter 148 Order of Eastern Star. Ron's love for the Eastern Star would lead him to serving on several state committees, as a state representative, and as Worthy Patron 13 times.
Ron lived in the NE Portland house his parents built from 1951 until 2001, at which time he & Raye moved to Boring, OR. They also built a house at Manzanita beach in 1990 with plans to retire there; but after Ron’s heart bypass surgery in 1999, these plans changed.
He was never bored in life. He learned to hunt at a young age and continued to do until two years ago when his health no longer allowed him to go. He got his driver's license at the age of 19. Ron had a passion for cars that never left him; often telling stories about all the cars he owned, his last was a yellow 1955 Chevrolet pickup. He bowled for the Armour team and liked fishing as well as rafting the Deschutes. He was president of the Pharaohs and Team Libre' Hot Rod Club, and an officer for the Oregon Region Sports Car Club of America. Ron coached little league baseball, was an active parent with the Boy Scout Troop 36, and Bethel 5 International Order of Jobs Daughters. He started collecting coins as a kid, something he recently shared with his grandchildren. He enjoyed being Santa for his grandchildren and the seniors at Jennings McCall Assisted Living Home. After retiring, he joined Raye in researching the family genealogy, which he did daily until he could no longer manage his computer. They had many great adventures exploring court houses, libraries and cemeteries tracing their family history. These trips included visiting many US states, Norway and England. During these trips, they would meet new family members which was life changing for both of them. Once introduced to Geocaching by Mike and Rebecca, he never went anywhere without plans to find a new cache. Ron's collections are legendary, just ask any family member. He has raised game birds, song birds, tropical fish and cacti in his greenhouse. Other interests included photography, flying kites and raising Koi.
Ron has been an example of courage and strength in the past 10 years. Diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma in 2005, he has endured and fought a hard battle with many health complications. In May of this year he was told he had lung cancer; a fight that could not be won. In the last few months of his life he spent as much time as possible with family and friends, never losing his sense of humor. Just the week before he passed away, he attended his 61st high school class reunion saw many lifelong friends. He also attended the weekly breakfast with the guys he worked with.
He made his commitment to his Lord and was baptized in 1979. Like some, his Christian life was a slow process, but in time, his faith matured and strengthened. Ron truly felt God's guidance through his life and fully believed that the power of all of the prayers said for him helped him through the last few years his life.
Ron loved his family, always wanting the best for them and from them. He was old school when it came to taking care of what you had and not replacing it with something new. These were his feelings about friends also; make new ones but always keep the old ones close.
He passed away at his home in Boring surrounded by the love of his family and friends on Thursday, October 22, 2015. He is survived by his wife of 45 years, Raye; son Jim (Patti) Shadduck; daughters Sherri (Jeff) Nusz and Rebecca (Mike) Gallagher; grandchildren Trent & Morgan Shadduck, Winston & Makayla Nusz, Ryan (Jessica), Kyle & Caitlyn Gallagher; great granddaughter Sloane Gallagher; uncle Gil Turner, many cousins and friends.
Ron's Celebration of Life is Saturday, November 21st at Pleasant Home Community Church, 32120 SE Dodge Park Blvd, Gresham, OR 97080 at 1:00pm, all are welcome. Remembrances in lieu of flowers can be sent to Kenya Orphanage Mission at Pleasant Home Community Church or OSHU Knight Cancer Institute Myeloma Research, 1121 SW Salmon St, Suite 100, Portland, OR 97205. For more information visit sandyfuneralhome.com