Ronald Link

1940 - 2023

Ronald Link
February 27, 1940 - April 9, 2023
Chapel Hill, North Carolina - Ronald Charles Link, Dan K. Moore Professor of Law, Emeritus at the University of North Carolina, died April 9, 2023, at The Cedars of Chapel Hill.
Ronald Charles Link was born February 27, 1940, in Manhattan, Kansas. He was the only son of Dr. and Mrs. Roger P. Link. "Ronnie" moved at a young age to Urbana, Illinois, when his father accepted a faculty position at the new College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Illinois. Ronnie graduated from University High School in Urbana in 1957 then matriculated at the University of Illinois, was elected to Phi Beta Kappa and Omicron Delta Kappa, and received an A.B. in Chemistry in 1961. Ron and his new wife, Susan (Sue) Colwell Link, headed west to Berkeley, California, where Ron received an M.A., also in Chemistry. Tiring of life in the laboratory and building on a lifelong interest in politics, Ron returned to University of Illinois, enrolling in the School of Law, where he received a J.D. in 1965. While in law school, Ron was elected to membership in the Order of the Coif and served as Associate Editor of the University of Illinois Law Forum.
The young attorney practiced law as an associate in the Trusts and Estates Group of Sidley & Austin in Chicago, Illinois. While Ron and Sue were both native Midwesterners, the Chicago winters were hard on a family with two very young daughters. A record-breaking snowfall propelled the Links south to Athens, Georgia, where Ron entered the teaching profession at the University of Georgia. Three years later, in 1971, Professor Link joined the law faculty at the University of North Carolina. Apparently what sealed the deal for the prospective new faculty member was the conversation in the faculty lounge at UNC. While faculty in the lounge at Georgia typically talked about the weather, faculty in the lounge at Carolina were talking about varsity athletics when Professor Link walked through. Little did the UNC law faculty know that they had successfully recruited a lifelong sports enthusiast and birthed a loyal Tar Heel.
The Link family moved to Chapel Hill and never left. Professor Link enjoyed a rich career teaching Trusts and Estates, and Property at UNC Law as well as serving the state of North Carolina with his considerable legal skills and intellect. He was an Associate Dean at UNC Law from 1982-85 and Acting Dean from 1988-89. While Acting Dean, he created the Chancellor's Scholars program. He served on the American Bar Association's Section on Real Property, Probate and Trust Law, as well as with other professional organizations. He was chosen as an academic fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel and as chair of the North Carolina General Statutes Commission Trusts Drafting Committee. Ron twice received the Order of the Longleaf Pine award from the State of North Carolina in recognition of his service to the state and its citizens.
The Link family made strong connections in the Chapel Hill community. Ron was an active member of the East Chapel Hill Rotary Club where he was particularly known for his witty and well-crafted Sergeant-at-Arms monologues. He was a member of University United Methodist Church for over 40 years. He served on the Board of SECU Family House and supported TABLE, a local non-profit providing healthy food and nutrition education to children in Orange County. He thoroughly enjoyed attending the Chapel Hill Sports Club, playing tennis at The Farm, golfing at the Chapel Hill Country Club, and hosting an interview show on WCHL. He served on the Finance Committee at The Cedars of Chapel Hill and spent many enjoyable hours socializing with friends and neighbors in that community.
Ron Link enjoyed life to the fullest. He was gifted with an extraordinary intellect, exceptional health, a ready sense of humor, and a strong will to achieve. He never shrank from a challenge, whether that challenge was professional, personal, or practical. Co-authoring the Sixth Edition of the signal classroom text Problems and Material on Decedents' Estates and Trusts was a capstone academic accomplishment. You could find young Ronnie exercising his skills on a baseball diamond, basketball court, or track. Until he was diagnosed with Mantle Cell Lymphoma in 2022, you could find adult Ron (often accompanied by his children or grandchildren) on a tennis court, pickleball court, golf course, hiking trail, yoga mat, downhill ski run, weight machine, or sailboat. When not "doing" sports, Ron was watching sports on TV or in-person. The venue did not matter; high school, college, professional, semi-professional, men's and women's sports were all appealing. You could also find Ron Link enjoying concerts, comedy shows, movies, and books or working diligently in his home office.
The story of someone's life typically lists facts, activities, and achievements. There are certainly many of those items to list in a life that was well-lived for 82 years until a surprising cancer diagnosis in May of 2022. Activities and achievements can hint at a person's character, but they do not tell the whole story. Ron Link was a father, a gentleman, a scholar and a lawyer of the highest integrity. He was elected to the Board of Trustees of the Epworth Heights Assembly and later served on the Epworth Church Association Board. His positive influence will continue to be felt in his family, amongst his friends & colleagues, and in the hundreds of attorneys, judges, politicians, and citizens that he taught in his over 30-year career.
Ron was preceded in death by his wife of 57 years, Susan Colwell Link. He is survived by his children Jennifer Link McGlone (Chadd) and Molly Link Shivers (David) all of Chapel Hill, NC; grandchildren Forrest Shivers of Charlotte, NC; Charlotte McGlone (Mike McAuliff) of Cary, NC; and Helen McGlone (Cheyanne Newhouse) of Portland, OR. The family extends a special word of appreciation to Mary and Donny Walker for their steadfast support. The family thanks Dr. Natalie Grover and her team at UNC Hematology/Oncology for their compassionate care. The family also thanks the team at Homewatch for their dedicated service.
Arrangements are by the Cremation Society of the Carolinas. A service celebrating Ron's life will be held during the summer in Ludington, Michigan. Interment will be at Lakeview Cemetery in Ludington, Michigan. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Mathkind Global (mathkind.org), P.O. Box 3698, Chapel Hill, NC, 27515, or the School of Law at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.