Ronald Fred Zapernick

Ronald Fred Zapernick of Phoenix, Arizona passed away on Monday, August 13, 2023, at the age of 58. Ron was born January 7, 1965, to his parents Lois Zapernick and Ron Zapernick in New Jersey. He is survived by his three children Skylar, Maegan, and Zane, his parents, his sister Denise and her family all of whom miss him dearly.
During his early years, Ron enjoyed swimming, fishing, and playing sports such as baseball and football. He enjoyed archery, horseback riding, biking, being in Boy Scouts, being a long-distance runner on track & field. He also swam backstroke on the local swim team. He was great at everything he tried and received many awards and other accolades in his youth. He was very kind and would let his sister sneak into his room at night when she was scared, and couldn't sleep. Above all, he always loved anything pertaining to the outdoors, fishing, camping, boating, canoeing, kayaking, etc.
Each spring, he and his friends would build forts in the woods on their property. Before moving to Arizona, he spent the summer with Teen Missions building homes. In his teen years, he also lived in Venice Beach, California, and enjoyed skate boarding, and rollerskating on the boardwalk. He loved the beach and the ocean.
In the year 2000, Ron married. He and his wife at the time, had three children together. He would teach his family to love the outdoors, as he did. Every summer they would travel to the Mogollon Rim and would spend weekends fishing, canoeing, kayaking, and camping in the trees. He would take them roller skating, and bowling. He taught his children all of the names of the cacti of the desert and would often take them hiking where they would look for remnants of pottery made by indigenous people.
When his children were young, Ron would sometimes take them with him to work. Most of his career was spent as a project manager building homes. He started in Desert Mountain; however, most of his years he spent working for Scott Edmunds at CSE & Associates. He loved working there and worked there until his illness. He always listened to talk radio in the car, which his kids always complained about. At work, he would show his children all the wonderful homes that he supervised being built. They would go to Home Depot and other hardware supply stores. Skylar always thinks of him when she smells sawdust because of that. He loved going on field trips with his kids. Ron loved his children very much and always told them.
Ron was the light of every room. He had a great sense of humor, an infectious laugh, and smile. He was very smart, loved to read, and had self-taught expertise in many fields. There wasn't any question to which he didn't know the answer. Ron was an extremely dedicated and hard worker. He was a continuously optimistic person and had a "life is good" mentality. He always told stories about his life that his children will always remember and share with others. He loved birthdays and holidays and would make French toast on Sundays. We miss him very much.
A memorial service will be held for Ron at the
Messinger Mortuary on Pinnacle Peak Road on Friday, August 25, 2023, from 6-8 P.M. All who loved and knew him are welcome and are encouraged to join the family