Ron Lepanto

On Wednesday January 19, 2022, Ron Lepanto of Escondido, California passed away gently and peacefully at the age of 91. A 63-year resident of Escondido, Ron was a devoted husband, amazing father, wonderful grandfather and a friend to many. He will forever be remembered as a kind, compassionate and loving man with the biggest of hearts, a passion for making a difference and a delightful sense of humor.

Ron was born January 27, 1930, in the East Bronx, New York City, to his beloved parents James and Josephine. He was forever a true Bronx boy and carried a hint of that accent throughout his entire life. The family lived in an Italian Jewish neighborhood and Ron would often share his stories of playing stickball in the street, working as a soda jerk, being a movie usher at the RKO theater, and big Sunday Italian family dinners. He especially liked his job installing the first T.V. antennas on the roof tops of Harlem and would often be invited in for lunch by his many friends in that neighborhood.

After graduating from Christopher Columbus High School, Ron joined the United States Marine Reserves at Fort Shuyler, in New York. Activated during the Korean War, Ron spent time at Camp Lejeune and in Pensacola Florida, eventually ending up at Camp Pendleton, MCRD and was promoted to Sergeant. Ron loved being a Marine and always shared that these were some of his happiest memories.

Ron met Mom (Betty) in San Diego in 1952. As the story goes, he saw Mom while they were roller skating at Belmont Park. He intentionally tripped her and then came to her rescue and offered to buy her a Coke. It was love at first sight and they were married the same year and remained in San Diego for six years, where they both worked for First National Bank in downtown San Diego before Ron left to work for defense contractor Convair on Pacific Highway. He worked as an electrical installer in their Mock-Up Department and also as a Union Steward. Always ahead of his time, and an advocate for equality and fairness. As the Union Steward, Ron fought hard for the first female union member promoted to a management position to receive equal pay, and successfully got the company to change the policy.

After Convair, Ron worked for San Diego Glass and Paint in San Diego. The family grew when first son James was born in 1957. When the Escondido store was opened on Grand Avenue, Ron was asked to commute and assist in the new outlet. His first question was "What is Escondido?" As he said, "I soon learned that Escondido was warmth, friendliness, and good fellowship. For a boy from the Bronx, Escondido represented the dreams of my childhood." He loved everything about Escondido's small town feel and that love for his community never changed. In 1959, Ron, Betty, and James, along with faithful Doberman Reggie moved to their new home on the east side of Escondido. Younger son Richard was born in 1960.

In 1960, Ron joined Escondido Police Department. He had finally found his dream job for making a difference for others. In his 30-year career he moved up the ranks from Patrol Officer to Lieutenant. His contributions were many, including starting the K-9 program, and developing and overseeing the Police Dispatch and Records Divisions for the new Police Station that integrated state of art technology of the time. He also was recognized as a terrific community ambassador and liaison within the Escondido community.

Ron also got his Masters of Counseling degree in the late 70's which at the time was unique for police officers. Ron always wanted to listen, engage, and respect the people in the community he was working with and the counseling degree was a way for him to develop additional skills. He was great at connecting with folks, developing trust and skilled at deescalating situations. He believed whole heartedly that everyone deserved to be treated with kindness, respect and understanding.

In addition to his police career, Ron was passionate about community involvement and making a positive difference in Escondido. In 1970 Ron joined the Escondido Kiwanis Club and remained an active member the rest of his life. He loved his Kiwanis family, serving a term as President and participating in numerous fundraising and community projects. Carrying out the Kiwanis mission of "improving one child and one community at a time", was one of the great joys of Ron's life.

Ron's lifelong love of animals was evident with his relationship with the Escondido Humane Society which began early in his police career, and he later served as Chair of the Board. Over the years he would often volunteer to bring hurt or neglected animals home from the Humane Society, to the delight of James and Richard. These included a Kinkajou (a very cute marsupial), a hawk, a Monkey Faced Owl, a rabbit named Escondido, a variety of snakes (not so popular with Betty) and a dog or two.

Another area of interest was collecting Wizard of Oz memorabilia. Ron first saw the Wizard of Oz movie in color in 1939, which left him awestruck, and his love for it never wavered. He was an avid fan of Judy Garland, and his favorite song was always "Somewhere Over the Rainbow." Over the years, his collection continued to grow, and Ron and Betty were members of the International Wizard of Oz Club. If truth be told, Ron always kept a bit of that innocent child whimsy from 1939, which reappeared again with his love for Harry Potter and magic.

During his life Ron was always there for anyone that needed encouragement, mentoring, or someone to talk to. Over and over again throughout the years stories were shared about the impact he had on other people's lives through his kindness and willingness to be there for them and to help them succeed. Always willing to give someone a chance, Ron helped a number of young woman and men get hired onto the Police Department. He especially enjoyed mentoring young people that needed help and someone to talk to. Forever the gentleman, he always had a smile or a kind word for everyone he met. He just loved everyone, and they loved him.

Ron's beloved wife Betty passed away in 2007 and he is survived by his two sons James and Richard and his granddaughter Nina.

In honor of Ron's passion for making a difference in the lives of young people the family has established the Escondido Kiwanis Club Foundation "Ron Lepanto Youth Scholarship Fund" with the goal of providing scholarships to young people to help them succeed and realize their dreams. Donations can be sent to the following:

The Escondido Kiwanis Club Foundation

ATT: Ron Lepanto Youth Scholarship Fund

P.O. Box 461471 Escondido, CA 92026