Ronald Lee Thatcher

Ronald Lee Thatcher, September 6, 1944 – May 26, 2025 (80 years old).
Ronald Lee Thatcher of North Plainfield, NJ - son, brother, uncle, cousin, friend - died at 80 years old on May 26, 2025 from cancer. A man of extraordinary kindness, generosity, intelligence, and humor, he leaves his legacy imprinted on those who knew him.
Ron was born in Plainfield, NJ to John and Ruth Thatcher and spent his childhood and high school years in Westfield, NJ. He enlisted in the U.S. Army and in April 1967 as a 22-year old Specialist in Vietnam, was wounded in action. His courage was recognized with several military honors, including the Purple Heart and the Bronze Star Medal for Heroism. In early 2020, he retired after 30 years as a market analyst at the New Jersey Department of Labor. He is predeceased by his parents John Martin Thatcher and Ruth Elizabeth Thatcher and his brother Robert Barry Thatcher.
A humble, selfless man who cared deeply about global issues and helping others, Ron changed lives around the world with his charitable support of humanitarian organizations such as Americares and Doctors Without Borders. Closer to home, with his quick wit and unwavering good nature, he used every interaction – at the bank, in the grocery store, during a family gathering – to foster optimism and to uplift by sharing a laugh or acting on an opportunity to do good.
He was a devoted son and brother, a man of immense fortitude, and an indelible influence on the lives of his niece Lisa Susan Thatcher, nephew Michael Rodney Thatcher, and cousin and godson Edward J. Donohue. The sense of loss at losing this beloved man is matched only by the sense of gratitude for having him.
His ashes will be privately buried in the First Congregational Church of Westfield, NJ's Memorial Garden.