Ronald Davidoff

Ronald Davidoff, age 94, passed away peacefully at home during his sleep on January 18, 2026.

He married the love of his life, Rita Contrael, on August 12, 1956, and together they shared 65 years of devotion and family life.

Ronald was born on October 24, 1931, in Berzniki, Poland to the late Nikita "Nick" and Anna (Gerasimov) Davidoff on his grandfather Gabriel Davidoff's farm, and was soon baptized into the Old Believers Russian Orthodox faith.

Ronald arrived in the United States in May 1939 aboard the MS Batory with his mother. His father Nick had returned to his place of birth in Ellsworth, Pennsylvania travelling from Berzniki at an earlier date to begin work in the Ellsworth coal mine.

Ronald "Ronnie" graduated from Ellsworth high school in 1951, where he excelled while playing cornerback, fullback, and offensive tackle on the football team; center on the basketball team; and pitcher and catcher on the baseball diamond. During his senior year, Ronnie was captain of the Ellsworth Tigers football team which won the 1950 WPIAL Class C state championship. Ronnie was named to the WPIAL first team and accepted a full-ride football scholarship to Western Reserve University (WRU) in Cleveland, Ohio. The Western Reserve Redcats were one of the original teams of the Mid-American Conference (MAC).

Ronnie played both outside linebacker and guard for the Redcats. He saw action right away as a true freshman on defense in the season opener against the West Virginia Mountaineers. During his senior year, he was named MAC defensive player of the week after making many tackles/sacks, recording an interception, and forcing a fumble in a win versus the Marshall Thundering Herd. Ronnie was eventually contacted by George Halas of the Chicago Bears for a tryout, however, he had to decline as he was still recovering from a severe knee injury suffered in the last game of the season. Ronnie was also a member of the Air Force ROTC while attending WRU.

Ronald received a bachelor of science degree in 1955 from WRU, and eventually finished a master of science degree in 1958 from WRU. In 1955 he was hired to be an English teacher and football coach at Cleveland Glenville High School. Coach Davidoff instilled a disciplined and winning attitude in his players who loved playing for him with enthusiasm. Many of his players stayed in contact with him throughout life. One season, the underdog Tarblooders upset the Lakewood St. Edward Eagles who were ranked #1 in the state at the time. Since the Tarblooders did not have a mascot back then, coach Davidoff came up with the idea that a Tarblooder was hard working and robot-like. He encouraged an artistically talented student in his English class to draw a robot-like mascot. Another student would dress as the mascot during games using a painted cardboard box for the head and a larger painted box on his upper body with a "G" on the chest. Today the robot-like Tarblooder mascot is still used by Glenville although the original drawing and costume have been updated over the years.

Coach Davidoff's last season as Glenville's head football coach, teacher and assistant principal was the 1963-1964 school year. He also coached JV basketball at Glenville. He later coached the Yankees little league baseball team from 1969-1971 in Orrville. He guided the 1969 Yankees to play in the championship game. In 1992 and 1993 he was the coach of the Ohio Dogs semi-pro football team. In 1992 the Ohio Dogs won the Northern Ohio Football League east division title.

Ronald was thrilled to be a lifetime educator and held positions as principal at Smithville High School and Orrville High School, curriculum director at Stow City Schools, and Assistant Superintendent at Revere local schools. He retired in 1992 from Revere; however, he continued in education as a curriculum consultant for a myriad of Ohio school districts including Massillon city, Perry local in Lake County, and Northwestern local, to name a few. Furthermore, he and his wife operated a commercial office cleaning company for 10 years.

Ronald enjoyed numerous activities including attending church and sporting events, ballroom dancing, golfing, reading, travelling, film acting, landscape painting, and spending precious time and having fun with his grandchildren.

He is survived by a daughter, Rhonda (Dave) Gnatowski; sons, Ronnie Davidoff, Randy (Liz) Davidoff, and Rick (Maureen) Davidoff; grandchildren, Matthew (Karen) Davidoff, Katie Davidoff, Sally Davidoff, Riley Davidoff, and Nick Davidoff; and a cherished great-granddaughter, Ella Davidoff.

In addition to his parents, Ronald was preceded in death by his beloved wife, Rita, and his son Roger Davidoff.

Burial will take place at Crown Hill Cemetery in Orrville following a private family service.

Auble Funeral Home in Orrville is assisting the family with arrangements. Online registry and expressions of condolences may be shared at www.aublefuneralhomes.com.