Ronald Mankoff

1931 - 2023

Ronald Mankoff
October 13, 1931 - June 27, 2023
La Jolla

Ronald Morton Mankoff, beloved husband, father, grandfather, and friend, died on June 27, 2023. Born on the Cheyenne River Reservation near Gettysburg, South Dakota on October 13, 1931, Ron was delivered by a Sioux midwife. The local doctor was away at the start of pheasant season. Parents Sarah Frank Mankoff and Harry Mankoff closed the family store as a result of the Depression and resettled in Minneapolis where "Ronny" and sister Marilyn were raised.
Ron entered the University of Minnesota where he joined the ROTC and was President of his Zeta Beta Tau Fraternity Chapter. His fraternity encouraged brothers to pursue an extracurricular activity, and Ron chose debate. In 1950, his University of Minnesota Debate Team won the Big 10 Debate Tournament and Ron was named Outstanding Debater. In 1954 he graduated from the University of Minnesota Law School, after serving on the Law Review.
Ron entered the United States Navy as an ensign and served on ships in the Atlantic. During a shore leave in the Virgin Islands, he met the love of his life, Joy Shechtman, who was on vacation with her parents. After the Navy, and in pursuit of Joy, who was then living in New York, Ron (who had no previous interest in tax) enrolled in the tax program at New York University Law School. In 1959 he and Joy married and settled in Dallas, TX.
Ron's law firm motto was, "The practice of law in a congenial environment." He worked hard for his clients but managed to be home by 5:45 for dinner with his family. Ron practiced tax law for 20 years with Wentworth T. Durant and then with successor firms that carried the Mankoff name. Ron tried and argued more than 50 tax cases and appeals, among them the often-cited Commissioner vs. Tufts decision in the US Supreme Court. He taught partnership tax at SMU Law School and was a sought-after lecturer and author on tax subjects.
Over the years, Ron invested in various business opportunities. including a sub-prime lending company which went public in 1994.
Ron's served on many local boards in Dallas, and the national boards of the Union of American Hebrew Congregations and the Center for Interreligious Understanding. Ron and Joy delighted in giving back to their community. Ron supported many organizations including The Dallas Opera, Dallas Symphony, Jewish Community Relations Council, Zeta Beta Tau Foundation, Planned Parenthood, Dallas Women's Foundation, and PJ Library.
Ron was a lifelong Democrat who never stopped trying to convince his Republican friends to come over to his side (to date there are no known successes from these efforts). Ron's preferred drink was a Perfect Rob Roy, straight up with a twist. Ron read most, if not all, spy novels published in the English language.
When he retired, Ron vigorously renewed his interests in woodworking, bridge, golf, backgammon, and painting. During their 64 years of marriage, Ron and Joy traveled extensively, enjoyed summers in La Jolla, were avid patrons of the opera and symphony, and collected American impressionist paintings.
Ron reveled in the accomplishments of those who survive him: his wife, Joy, their sons, Jeff and Doug, daughters-in-law, Staci Burstyn Mankoff and Marcia Weiner Mankoff, and their five grandchildren, Bradley, Michelle, Sarah, Max, and Eli.
In lieu of flowers, Ron requested that a contribution be made to an organization that might be surprised to receive it.

Please sign the guest book online at legacy.com/obituaries/ lajollalight