Ronald Melvin May

It is with great sadness we say farewell to a wonderful husband, father and friend. Ron passed away peacefully, surrounded by his loved ones on May 1, 2013.

Ron leaves behind his devoted wife June, his daughters, Rhianna (Luke) and Laura and his sons, Donald and Roger.  He will be lovingly remembered by his grandsons, Corey, Raymond, Ryan and his granddaughter Crystal (Andrew); great-grandchildren, Lana, Zack and Skyla Ronnie; his brother-in-law Walt Davies of Langley, BC; his mother Bobbie May of Leduc, AB; his brothers Brent (Cindy) and Tom (Evelyn) both of Pigeon Lake, AB; and his sister Lois Warwick (John) of West Vancouver.

He was predeceased by his father Mel May of Leduc, AB and his sister-in-law, Debbie May of Devon, AB.

In the early 80s, Ron started his own business and through his own ingenuity and hard work, the company, Protel Network Design Ltd., remains a successful telecommunications company, now owned and operated by Ron and June’s daughter Rhianna.

Ron’s talent as a singer, songwriter, playwright, director and actor was confirmed by the many awards he won over the years. He won the Kiwanis Award for best actor in 2006 for senior theatre. He won the top prize in the Langley Senior Idol competitions in 2006 and 2009, singing his own composition; he was a semi-finalist in the 2008 Red Robinson talent contest at the PNE singing a song he composed; he won a gold medal for best director and a silver medal for best actor at the BC Seniors’ Games in 2008. Ron was a finalist in the 2011 Langley Has Talent contest, also singing songs of his own composition; The play he wrote most recently – Love, Lies and In-Betweens – won silver medals for both best production and best original script in the BC Seniors’ Games in 2012.

Ron was a key actor and director with several local theatre groups – the Footlight Players, the Murrayville Performers and the Centre Stage Players. The groups produced many of the plays Ron wrote.

Ron played with several bands over the years including Lazy Morning. For the past few years, Ron played his guitar, keyboard or bass guitar and sang lead and harmonies with Renaissance, a small group that performed at local gigs.

Over the years, Ron sang and acted in many plays with local singer, actress and dear friend, Barb Nelson.

Wherever Ron was, he studied people, gathering characters and situations for his next play. His contribution to the musical and theatre scene in Langley will be missed but through the many songs he composed and the plays he has written, his music will live on and his delightful sense of humour will continue to be evident in the characters he created in his plays.

Ron began performing on stage when he was 16 years old, and whether he was singing and playing his guitar, in a group or solo, or he was a character in a play on the stage, he was a real showman and loved entertaining an audience.

He will be missed by his family, friends at work, friends and colleagues in the music and theatre communities, his little dog Emma Jayne and his audiences.

A special thank you to Shannon Dutchyn, our doctor and friend for her kindness and support and also to Dr. Russ Stogryn for his exceptional care. Many thanks to the helpful staff at Fraser Health - especially Dr. Adamson and Jill "The Nurse" who helped Ron stay at home for so long. Thank you for the caring support from the staff and volunteers at the Langley Hospice where Ron spent his final few days.

Many thanks to our wonderful neighbours. June would like to thank her good friend, Marie Larson and Ron's sister, Lois for their continuing support. A heartfelt thank you to our dear friend Diane Gendron-Cooney. The special bond she and Ron shared is very rare. Thank you to Ron's mom, Bobbie for giving us Ron.

You are invited to leave a personal message of condolence for the family.  Please check this site for details of Ron’s Celebration of Life which will be announced at a later date.

Memorial donations in memory of Ron may be made to the Langley Hospice Society.

Online: http://www.langleyhospice.com/donations.html

By Phone: (604) 530-1115.

By Mail: Langley Hospice Society, 20660 - 48 Avenue, Langley, BC V3A 3L6.