Name: Visitation for Ronald "Ron" Sonoda
Start: 2025-02-15T09:00:00.000Z
End: 2025-02-15T11:00:00.000Z
Location: Sacramento Memorial Lawn

Ronald "Ron" Sonoda

January 24, 2025

Elk Grove, California - Ronald "Ron" Sonoda, 85, passed away peacefully, entering Nirvana on Friday, January 24, 2025 in Elk Grove, CA. He spent his last weeks in the company of close friends and family.

Ron was born in Hilo, on the Big Island of Hawaii. In 1950, when he was 10, his parents moved from Mountain View, HI to Elk Grove, CA to give him and his siblings better educational opportunities. Ron became the first in his family to graduate from high school (from Elk Grove High), the first to go to college (at UC Berkeley), the first to fail out of college, then eventually the first to graduate from college (from Sacramento State University) and continue on to get a graduate degree (PhD in Plant Pathology from UC Davis).

Ron and his wife Lorraine took the first of their many cross country road trips when he joined the faculty of the University of Florida in 1969 at the Indian River Research and Education Center. Ron thought they wouldn't stay long since it was his first job, but he ended up working there more than thirty years, his entire professional/academic career.

Ron raised his family in Ft. Pierce, FL. While he was an accomplished academic working on diseases in citrus, tomatoes and other local crops, Ron preferred to be known for playing joyfully in the daily lunch volleyball games, for running road races, for being a good friend, and for being a committed and involved parent.

After his retirement, Ron finally kept his promise to return Lorraine to California when they moved to El Cerrito, CA in 2003. While Lorraine worked, Ron kept busy teaching Tai Chi and delivering Meals on Wheels until he no longer drove due to his dementia.

Once Lorraine retired, Ron would accompany her to many quilting and fabric shows, to the movies, and to many Bay Area cultural events.

His life came full circle when he and Lorraine moved back to Elk Grove in 2021, where he especially enjoyed the company of their many local relatives and friends.

Even with dementia, as recently as early January, Ron was still a delightful conversationalist, sharp witted and quick to laugh.

Ron was preceded in death by parents Fujiko (Tomono) and Masami and by brothers Henry and Tom. He is survived by his wife Lorraine, children Koji (Erin) and Aiko (Kirk Uchida), and grandchildren Emerson and Kelton. He will be missed by brother Wendell (Wanda), sister Frances Nakashoji (Norio), sister-in-law Janet Sonoda (Tom), and so many more people.

Please join us to celebrate his life on Saturday February 15, 2025 at Sacramento Memorial Lawn, 6100 Stockton Blvd, Sacramento.

Memorial services will begin at 11 a.m. with time for visitation prior.

Attendees are invited to wear aloha attire as a tribute to Ron.

The memorial service will also be streamed online: https://smlfh.com/.

In lieu of flowers, please consider donations in memory of Ron Sonoda to one of these organizations:

Alzheimer's Association - Support Alzheimer's research to cure this devastating disease - Ron was a lifelong scientist.

https://www.alz.org/.

The Aaron Project - Support graduating high school seniors in St. Lucie County to further their education - Ron spent more than 30 years in St. Lucie County and went to college because he had a scholarship. Throughout his life, he honored this by helping subsequent generations of scholars and professionals grow their careers.

https://www.theaaronproject.org/.

To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.

Published by The Sacramento Bee from Feb. 3 to Feb. 8, 2025.

Memories and Condolences
for Ronald Sonoda

Sponsored by Sacbee.com.

4 Entries

Harriet Patton

February 6, 2025

Ron, you will be remembered.

Isa P.

February 4, 2025

Ron was helping me train for my first marathon by keeping me company for the first 5 miles of my daily run. As I was trying to distract myself from the arduous run, I looked up and asked Ron what tree was the one we were passing. His response was to the point: "I don't know! I never looked up."
Thank you Ron for teaching me to look down as well as for so many other important life lessons.
Always with love,
isa

Lynne Gillis O'Dell

February 3, 2025

Dr. Sonoma will always have a special place in my heart. I worked with Dr. Sonoda at the research center starting when he was interim director. I was a newly single parent with a toddler and struggling and one day someone broke into my car and smashed the driver side window. I was so upset because I could not afford to get it fixed. He looked at me and said don't worry we will take care of it and the next thing you know a company was in the parking lot replacing the window. I don't know who all helped but I will never forget what he said a mom and her son can't drive around without a window you need to be safe.
On weekends when I would check on the greenhouses he would let my son spend time in his lab playing on the computer or looking in microscopes. He would share with my son what he was working on.
I remember the many conversations about books and watching he and others play volleyball everyday at lunch.
Dr. Sonoda was one of most brilliant people I have ever meet and I learned so much from him during my time at the research center.
I will miss him and will never forget the impact he had on my life and the life of my son.
Rest in peace my friend.

Doug Banks

February 3, 2025

When Ron retired from IFAS they needed someone to emcee his luncheon and I was asked to do it. I was reticent to do it because I had always been terrified of public speaking and had not graduated from College because I could not face a required Speech class. I finally agreed but was still terrified until I talked with Dr. Ron who gave me this piece of advice. When I stood in front of the audience I looked around and imagined everyone naked and told them it was not a pretty picture, everyone laughed and I no longer had those fears. He was always special and I will miss him.

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