Ronald Lee Lucas

1943 - 2025

Ronald Lee Lucas

Greenfield NH - Ronald Lee Lucas was born in Hot Springs, AR on February 15, 1943 to Darryll and Margaret Lucas. He passed on to his next journey in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico on January 25, 2025 after suffering a severe stroke. He was supported by his wife, Maggie, and biological children Orin and Maya and grandson, Manuel Lucas in a hospice setting in San Miguel.

Ron's family moved to Houston, TX where Ron spent most of his school years. He graduated from Baylor University and, very soon, went into the Peace Corps. He served as a teacher of English and also soccer in a mountain village for 2 years. His third year he served in Kabul at an institution for the mentally ill. He always looked back on those years with fond memories of his Afghan friends and his fellow group VI Peace Corp members.

He met his first wife, Adelheid, there while she was serving as a nurse. They returned to the US and New York City where Ron obtained his masters degree in social work from Columbia University. At the same time Ron was working in Harlem as a community organizer and also in an institution for the mentally ill.

After acquiring his degree, he and Adelheid moved to a farm in Lebanon, ME and a job as a case manager for troubled youth. They raised their two children there till they became of school age. After trying unsuccessfully to start a Waldorf school there, they heard about Wilton NH Pine Hill Waldorf School and a community supported bio-dynamic farm started by Trauger Groh. Desiring to be part of both endeavors, they moved to New Hampshire. At first, they lived on a farm in Greenfield that was making cheese. After a short time the cheese maker and family left. Ron and Dr. Paul Corcoran bought the acreage to continue farming and to start some sort of social endeavor there. Ron started raising pigs for meat and partnered with the Groh farm CSA, the first of its kind in the US. He assisted in building projects at the Pine Hill School, where his children were now going. Dr. Corcoran joined with Lyris founder, Donat Bay, to start a shared living community for challenged adults, which has become Plowshare Farm here in Greenfield.

Ron went on to establish himself as a carpenter specializing in barn restoration and general carpentry based on his early skills learned from his father. He built a house for his, then, ex-wife and family on the land in Greenfield.

He met Maggie Sauvain at a Nelson, NH contra dance in 1986. They have shared the years since then, till his death, on 40 acres of that original piece of land. While Maggie was teaching at Conval H.S., Ron continued his carpentry and also built their house on Driscoll Rd. with the help of friends. There they raised pigs, sheep and chickens until her retirement in 1999. Together they started Stonegate Farm and Flowers and added perennials, daylilies, hostas and exotic conifers to their farm products under the mentorship of neighbor Wesley Williams.

Ron has always been a politically active person . He participated in the local democratic committee as Secretary and in town meetings and non- partisan agendas for the good of our community, such as the Greenerborough Festival.

Ron is survived by his partner and wife of nearly 40 years, Maggie Sauvain; his 2 biological children, his son Orin and wife Dannielle Lucas and daughter, Maya Lucas. Grandchildren Wyatt Lucas and Manuel Lucas. In addition, his second family children Jeffrey and wife Jean Sauvain, and Sibeal Sauvain, plus grandchildren Hanna Sauvain and Henry Sauvain.

A celebration of Ron's life will be held in early June as a barbeque/potluck at the farm. The date will be announced in this paper, or email Maggie at flowerfarm2@gmail.com for more information.