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Ronald CAPE Obituary
October 1932 – January 2015
It is with sad hearts that we announce the death, on January 3, 2015, of Dr. Ronald Cape at age 82. Ron was born in Montreal to Fan and Victor Cape. In 1956, he married Libi Pollock of Ottawa. After graduating high school in Montreal, Ron went to Princeton University where he received his A.B. in Chemistry, graduating Summa Cum Laude. He continued his higher education at the Harvard Business School with a Masters in Business Administration, again graduating Summa Cum Laude. Ron obtained his Ph.D. in Biochemistry at McGill University and completed his broad education with a Post Doctoral Fellowship at the Molecular Biology and Virus Laboratory at the University of California at Berkley on a Centennial Fellowship of the Medical Research Council of Canada. Dr. Cape then turned all this learning to the bourgeoning fields of Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering and is recognized as one of the fathers of the Biotech Industry. He co-founded Cetus Corporation in 1971. Cetus was recognized as a world leader in these fields during his tenure as CEO. His professional and scientific activities were many and varied beyond his role at Cetus. Ron held dozens of prestigious board positions in numerous other related business ventures in the private and public sectors. Dr. Cape served on the board of trustees of Rockefeller University, Princeton University, the Whitehead Institute at MIT, Scientific American and Neutrogena as well as countless other influential boards, both profit and nonprofit. He was a lifelong passionate promoter of science education in many ways. Ron was a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Science, a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, on the board of Regents for the National Library of Medicine and many others, as well as co-editing an early textbook in Biotechnology, and was instrumental in fostering East/West cooperation in the Biotech industry. In addition to the sciences and business, Ron was a trustee of various arts organizations, supportive of all of the arts especially the San Francisco Opera where he was a board member for many years. Dr. Cape received numerous awards and recognition for these various scientific achievements and philanthropies. Notwithstanding all of these accolades, he was and always remained a humble man. Ronald Cape was a man of tremendous intellect, kindness, and generosity and also of quiet humor. Above all, Ron loved people, especially his family. He was a devoted husband, devoted father, devoted grandfather, devoted brother and a devoted uncle and friend. He will be profoundly missed by his wife Libi; his two daughters Jackie and Julie and their spouses Grant and Arnie; and by his beloved grandchildren Sammie, Alec, Seth, Tory, Ali and Zach; his brother Michael and sister-in-law Maureen; brother-in-law Dr. Piney Pollock and by so many others whose lives he touched and enriched. A Service will be held on Tuesday, January 6, 2015 at Temple Emanu-El, San Francisco, followed by a reception at 1750 Taylor Street. Shiva will be held at the family home for three days following. In lieu of flowers, the family requests contributions in Ron's name to the charity of your choice.
To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.
Paul De serres
September 15, 2015
Dear Cape Family, Ronald Cape Hired my dad Andre De Serres in Montréal in 1963 for the company Professionnal Pharc Corp . M. Cape was a great men and a very social and inspired person . Ia had a chance to see him in the 80' and always told my father that Ronald respected his employees very much. My Condolences to the Cape's family.
Ward Ward
January 24, 2015
Libi
I was sorry to hear that Ron passed away. Moshe told me that he was not doing well a few months ago, and I wanted to get a hold of him to say goodby, but I guess that is no longer possible. I would love to reconnect with you if you are interested.
January 17, 2015
Dear Libi, Julie, Jackie and the family:
It has been a long time since we've seen you and we were shocked to hear of Ron's passing. You are in our prayers and thoughts. May you be comforted with the mourners of Zion and of your memories and good times together.
B'shalom,
Donna and David Mendelsohn
Wolf Hanisch
January 13, 2015
Dear Cape family,
I am deeply saddened by the news of Ron's passing and, as I know, so are a large number of ex-Cetus people. My sincerest condolences go to you all.
I got to know Ron when I was offered a job at Cetus in 1980 and lasted till to 1985 when I returned to Australia.
These were heady, demanding and tumultuous times full of challenges and exhilaration. There are so some great stories of those times and Ron features prominently in many. Ron had the innate ability to inspire people to achieve beyond their self-expectations.
Over the years we managed to keep in touch meeting sporadically as occasions would allow. He never forgot the people or what had been achieved at Cetus: monumental for its time!
The world has lost a great man and visionary but remains a better place for his presence.
Death is but a short epilogue to a Life led big. Ron Cape led a big life.
Wolf Hanisch
Brisbane, Australia
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Jim Meade
January 9, 2015
Dear Libi and Family,
I just learned about Ron's passing today. I am very sorry to hear of his passing. I noted in the obituary the phrase "and by many others whose lives he touched and enriched". I am clearly one of those people. I started work at Cetus in April of 1978 and had many wonderful years working with him and others at Cetus. There are so many stories I have of Ron over the years -- of the times when we worked closely on the founding of Cetus Madison, of going out for dinner in Bloomington Indiana on one occasion at a Chinese restaurant and finding that he was also in town and at the same restaurant (Ron loved Chinese food and instilled in me a love of great Chinese food), of an interview for a job in Maryland in 2004 and finding Ron staying in the same hotel as he was there for a Board Meeting (we had a drink and discussion and accidentally met the next morning in the parking lot where we discovered we had parked beside each other). These are a few of the many stories I could tell, but they do not say anything about how he, and others at Cetus, influenced my life. He profoundly changed my life. My decision to join Cetus was the second best decision (the first being choosing my wife) that I ever made. All of my time at Cetus was amazing and Ron was one of the major contributors. I cannot conceive that my life would be what it has been without the influence of Ron in the early days of my career. He was a mentor in so many ways. He challenged us to grow. He expected greatness from all of us and gave us the room to grow. He was a real hero in my life. He set an ideal to live up to. The world is a better place because of Ron and he will be missed. I will never forget Ron and the incredible effect he made in my life.
Jim Meade
Beverly Wolf
January 8, 2015
Dear Libi, I just heard about Ron, and I am so sorry for your loss. With his co-founding of Cetus he was instrumental in changing my life from one of academics to more practical research. My first few years at Cetus were exciting indeed.
My best wishes to you.
Jackie Hackel
January 8, 2015
Dear Libi. It was with sadness that I read of Ron's death. I remember fondly the many evenings Bernie and I spent with you and Ron.Please accept my heartfelt condolences.
Barbara Artson
January 8, 2015
Dear Libi, I read with sadness of Ron's death. I send my thoughts and wonderful memories we once shared. With fond regards,
Clarissa Desjardins
January 7, 2015
Dear Libi and the entire Cape family,
I was saddened to learn of Ron's passing and extend my deepest sympathies to you.
Ron changed my life. He, along with a few others, decided to invest in our small Montreal start-up in the early 90's and then became the chairman of our Board for almost 10 years. My memories of Ron are that he was always joyful and quick with a joke. He was so unbelievably well-read in science, business and culture. He would cross reference the latest movie, article and book he had read in a single sentence leaving us thoroughly entertained, always impressed and sometimes confused. He had a wonderfully large perspective on difficult situations. He was always thoughtful, caring and kind. As our Chairman, he had seen a lot and was happy to share his experience with us. He gently guided us through many decisions we would otherwise have regretted. Ron was a great mentor to me and wonderful man. I will always remember him fondly.
Warm regards,
Clarissa Desjardins
Dorsey Stuart
January 7, 2015
Dear Cape Family,
Ron was a mentor and friend. He introduced me to biotechnology when he hired me as a consultant in the early 1980s. He was kind enough to agree to serve as the Chairman of a company I subsequently founded in Hawaii. He will be sorely missed by all of the biotechnology community.
My sincere condolences to you.
W Dorsey Stuart
Rosemarie Cortland (formerly Johnson)
January 7, 2015
My most deepest condolences to you, Libi, Jackie, Julie and your families.
You may remember me and my time with Ron as his Sr. Executive Assistant at Cetus and then for five years in San Francisco. I worked closely with he, Jeff and his long time bookkeeper, Angie Papastefan as well.
I have many wonderful memories of Ron, one of which was time surprising him with a maple birthday cake which came from a bakery out on Geary. After literally calling all over the City to find one that knew of and would make this particular cake, I took a bus from Montgomery Street to the bakery and back before he came into the office. He was shocked that I remembered his fondness for this particular cake, and not realizing that it is a very uncommon cake to find in San Francisco.
I also remember with fondness the many times we lunched at Yank Sing, especially when his grandchildren were in town. He was the first person I had ever known who loved to eat chicken feet. He couldn't resist insisting that I taste them, but he didn't succed.
And, we seemed to have developed a fierce competition with how many grandchildren we would be able to announce to each other. He grinned proudly telling me that he was expecting his first and then boasted with the announcement of each of the other grandchildren. I was proud to say that I have 6.
Throughout the time I spent with Ron, I greatly admired him and witnessed him being a wonderful mentor as well as sharing, unselfishly, all his other attributes and abilities whenever a need was presented to him. I am truly honored to have known Ron.
With warmth and sadness,
Rosemarie
[email protected]
Catherine Manion Lewis
January 6, 2015
I was very sorry to learn of the passing of Dr. Cape when I read The Ottawa Citizen this morning.
In the summer of 1967, I spent a month with the Capes, looking after their two young daughters and generally providing some help in preparation for the family's move to California.
Mrs. Cape, I remember when you came to Ottawa to pick me up and bring me back to Montreal. I was 16 at the time and it was the first time I had ever been away from home for an extended period. I remember how kind you all were to me and I have thought of you often over the years.
My deepest sympathy to you, Jackie, Julie and the family.
Cathy
Michael Quastel
January 6, 2015
As a friend and classmate of Ron at the Montreal High School, I would like to extend my deepest condolences on his passing. He was a great man. ?????? ??? ???? ???? ????????
Ruth Fujita
January 5, 2015
Warmest aloha to the Cape family. We loved the time we spent with Ron at Neugenesis and so very much appreciate all he did to help the company and all the great jokes and humanness he shared every time he made the long trip to Honolulu. He was a great man.
Frederick Frank
January 5, 2015
Dear Libi,
Oh, such truly sad news today. Indeed, Ron was a very special human being in every sense of what that word implies. As you know our relationship started in 1978 when Alex Zafforoni introduced us--and then in 1981 I was fortunate to lead the Cetus public offering, various subsequent financings then the merger with Chiron--and we both worked with PureTech Ventures. He was a special human being and we shall all miss him greatly.
It is especially sad for you and your family. You have a plethora of happy and wonderful memories which will help you during these very difficult days.
Mary joins me in sending you our love and heartfelt thoughts. Fred Frank
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