Ronald William

Stoneham

Ron passed away at midnight on November 8, 2026, at the age of 81 after a heartbreaking journey with dementia, while in the loving care of the staff at the palliative care unit of Bruyère Health Saint-Vincent Hospital.

Ron was the beloved husband of Jo-Ann (Girouard) for nearly 57 years, loving father of Allison (Jamie) and Devon, devoted grandfather to Brandon and Alex, dear “BB” (Big Brother) to Brenda and “Uncle Ronnie” to many nieces and nephews.

He was predeceased by his parents Kate (Kathleen) and “Duff” (William), his brother Peter, his sister-in-law Beverly Weatherdon, his brother-in-law Carl Stewart and his brother-in-law Stéphane Joncas.

Ron was born in Worthing, West Sussex, England. His family, like many others with a military father, lived in several places in Europe and Canada before settling in Ottawa in the 1950’s. He was a graduate of Lisgar Collegiate Institute and after a stint for NCR Canada in Hamilton and Ottawa, he spent the remainder of his career as a Canadian Chartered Insurance Broker at Halpenny Insurance followed by Smith, Petrie, Carr & Scott and Meridian Insurance Group.

In his youth, Ron was a talented athlete, playing both high school football and in early adulthood, rugby with the Ottawa Ospreys Rugby Football Club (formerly the Ottawa Indians Rugby Football Club). After injury forced an early retirement, Ron remained active with the alumni and spoke fondly of his memories at Twin Elms Rugby Park. Ron was also an avid Canadian Football League fan, supporting the Ottawa Redblacks (formerly the Ottawa Rough Riders) including two terms as a season ticket holder: in the 1980’s on the South Side and then again from 2016 to 2023 on the North Side with his daughter, Allison.

Ron was actively involved in the Kiwanis Club of Orleans and the Ottawa Bicycle Club over the years, not only as a member, but in a number of leadership roles. He gave generously with his time, whether it was delivering Christmas baskets to the less fortunate or cycling to raise money for various charities.

For years, Ron cycled with a group of longtime friends who called themselves “Chain Reaction”. Those rides and friendships meant a great deal to him. In fact, this group meant so much to Ron and friends that they designed a “Chain Reaction” logo and Ron had it proudly tattooed on his calf. Through cycling, Ron met his dear friends André Gauthier and Jane Hammingh who were devoted and steadfast friends over the years, especially after Ron’s dementia diagnosis.

Ron also loved the great outdoors. Murphy’s Point Provincial Park was a special place where Ron camped with his children and later carried on the tradition with his grandsons. He loved boasting to anyone who would listen about the number of consecutive years he had taken one or both grandsons to Murphy’s Point for a Stoneham camping adventure. By our count, it was 24 years!

For those who knew Ron, he was a caregiver above all. He was kind, generous, had a great sense of humour, loved to tease and was big on family and tradition. While dementia slowly took its toll, many of his qualities continued to shine through in small moments we will treasure forever.

A special thank you to Dr. Mottiar at the Civic Hospital and to the caring, loving staff at the William and Maureen Shenkman Palliative Care Unit at Bruyère Health Saint-Vincent Hospital.

A celebration of Ron’s life will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, donations to the William and Maureen Shenkman Palliative Care Unit at Bruyère Health Saint-Vincent Hospital would be greatly appreciated.