Ron Pertuset died on Tuesday, Feb. 16, 2010. He was 62 years old.

Born in Portsmouth, Ohio, Ron was raised in McDermott. He maintained a love of the wooded hills of Southern Ohio.

Ron graduated from Northwest High School. He later lived in Marion, where he played softball and worked in steel fabrication with Joe, his brother and friend. There he met Gaila while teaching disco. Ron and his children, Jenni and Ian, moved to Texas to be with Gaila and her daughter, Tonya. Ron and Gaila married in an impromptu ceremony on a Labor Day camping trip with friends in 1979. The groom wore tight white jeans and the bride carried wildflowers.

Their family moved to Port Orchard, Wash., in 1983, following Ron’s hiring at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard. At PSNS, Ron’s positions included shipfitter, nuclear inspector, and scheduler. He frequently worked off-station, especially in San Diego. On one trip, he rode a 75-mile bike race in the Sierras of Baja with great determination and little preparation.

Ron formed many dear, decades-long friendships with PSNS coworkers and in the community of Port Orchard’s Beta Sigma Phi sorority members and their spouses. He enjoyed train and car travel with family and friends, hiking, camping, canoeing, and brewing beer. He appreciated the affection and entertainment of his cats.

He slipped quietly away with his family by his side at Harrison Medical Center in Bremerton, Wash., after living briefly with a diagnosis of pancreatic cancer. He maintained his humor, good spirits, and faith that God loves him to the end.

Ron was preceded in death by his mother, Pauline Catherine (Crabtree) Pertuset. He leaves his wife Gaila Jean (Godwin) Pertuset; father Joseph “Joe” Mitchell Pertuset; brother Joseph Edward Pertuset, Joe’s wife Susan “Sue” Marie (Wolf) Pertuset, and their family; daughter Tonya Ondine (Gullo) Hatfield, Tonya’s husband Jeremy Neil Hatfield, their sons Michael Edward Emery, Dylan Michael Bruner, and Sean Jeremy Hatfield; daughter Jennifer Lizbeth Pertuset, Jenni’s husband Steven “Steve” David Lawrenz, their daughter Margaret “Meg” Pauline Pertuset Lawrenz; son Ian Justin Pertuset, Ian’s wife Charlotte Michelle (Spriggs) Pertuset, their children Gabriel “Gabe” Sebastian Pertuset and Emma Jane Pertuset; and innumerable grieving friends.

In lieu of flowers, Ron requested memorial in-kind or monetary donations to Kitsap Humane Society, 9167 Dickey Rd, Silverdale WA 98383, 360-692-6977.

A memorial and celebration of his life is planned for 10 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 27, at Christ the Rock Community Church, 4100 Old Clifton Road, Port Orchard, Wash. Aloha attire requested.

Aloha Ron.