Highland Park Obituary: Ronald Simon, 82

Ron Simon was born on January 30, 1942 to the late Rose and Louis Simon. He passed away unexpectedly on February 23, 2024 on a baseball field. He was surrounded by his loving teammates who, along with a brave umpire and physician, worked to revive him. Ron was the beloved husband of Donna Simon; loving father of Lisa (Mark) Kappes, Scott (Kara) Simon, and Lainie (Ron) Dorneker; and loving stepfather of Stacy Fineberg and Cary (Danielle) Goldman whom he loved as if they were his own children. He was also the proud grandfather of Jake (Sarah) Kappes, Luke Kappes, Gabriel Simon, Amanda Dorneker, Noah Dorneker, Justin Fineberg, Sydney Fineberg, Ethan Fineberg, Jackson Goldman and Charlie Goldman and brother of the late Norman Simon and Barbara Steinberg.

Ron attended Amundsen High School where he played basketball and ran track. (Surprisingly, he also played the violin in the orchestra and the bassoon in the band!) He later attended the University of Illinois where he played intramural sports and studied math. He maintained firmly that his favorite movie, Animal House, was written about his beloved fraternity, Tau Delta Phi.

Ron and Donna recently celebrated their 40th anniversary. Ron’s greatest accomplishments were his children and grandchildren. He was grateful to Donna for melding the Simon and Goldman families and ensuring closeness amongst the siblings and grandchildren.

To the casual observer, Ron was known for his stoicism, quick wit, and simplicity. To those who knew him well, he was an intensely passionate family man who beamed in the presence of his family and was constantly amazed by his children and grandchildren’s accomplishments. His quick wit was code for his sarcasm and low tolerance of stupid people. His simplicity was unquestionable: he was a humble man with few needs – his family, his morning coffee and bagel, the crossword, WGN, and a few sweets. He was also known for being honest, hard-working, and loyal.

Ron loved playing softball and he played three times a week for nearly the last dozen years. We are grateful he played a final game before his untimely death. We are also grateful he was very recently surrounded by family who came to town to celebrate his youngest’s 50th birthday.

We will honor Ron with a Celebration of Life in the coming months and will share details as soon as possible. To honor Ron, please consider donating in his name to the Quantum House (https://www.quantumhouse.org/) where he enjoyed volunteering, or to a memorial at Colossa Park, Boyton Beach, where his team played softball. For details regarding the memorial, please contact Dr. Scott Simon at drsds14@yahoo.com.

This obituary was provided by the Simon family. The views expressed here are the author's own.