Ronald L. Schlitzer

Ronald L. Schlitzer, of Keller, TX died March 19, 2019 at the age of 76. He was born to Hilda and Cecil Schlitzer in 1942 and raised in Rochester, NY.

Ron met the love of his life, Sue Ellen, while earning his master’s degree in microbiology. Although he was a studious man of science, he had a fun loving side. Sue Ellen discovered Ron’s penchant for playing practical jokes on loved ones after she opened her desk drawer to find a live mouse inside, which still makes her laugh to this day.

Ron and Sue Ellen got married and had two children, David and Karen. As young children, they learned a wide range of practical skills from their dad, borne of his refusal to hire anyone to fix anything. Ron encouraged his children to attend college far from home to foster independence. He was a strict disciplinarian, but relaxed his rules later in life for his
grandchildren. He was calm, gentle, reserved, and brought levity to situations with his dry sense of humor. As a father-in-law, he was regarded as a wonderful man, who was supportive, unassuming, and unpretentious.

Ron devoted his professional life to the study of microorganisms. After earning a Ph.D. in microbiology and then doing post doctoral work, Ron started his career at Alcon Laboratories, Inc. in Texas where he worked in Research and Development. He was an accomplished microbiologist with multiple publications and patents to his name. Ron retired from Alcon after 27 years and then spent significant time volunteering.

He touched many lives with his spirit of stewardship. Ron helped schoolchildren learn to read, and he was also part of the Big Brothers Big Sisters program. He volunteered at The Warm Place in Fort Worth where he worked with children grieving the loss of a parent, sibling, or grandparent.

Ron loved gardening. He and Sue Ellen became certified Master Gardeners and taught classes in specialized areas. Ron combined his joy of photography with traveling. He and Sue Ellen had wonderful times traveling, especially to Alaska, Greece, and Costa Rica. In the last years of his life, Ron indulged an adventurous spirit by doing things like zip lining down a mountain in Vermont. His five grandchildren brought him immense joy.

Ron will be remembered as a loving husband by his wife of 50 years, Sue Ellen (Ferrari) of Keller, TX. He will be remembered as a loving father by his children David Schlitzer (Jennifer David) of Ballston Spa, NY and Karen Schlitzer (Ken Rubinstein) of Hopkinton, NH. He is survived by his sister Joyce (Erhard Schulz) of Rochester, NY; five grandchildren Alex, Tommy, Kate (Rubinstein), Brandon and Ryan (Schlitzer). Ron is also survived by two nephews and a niece.

A celebration of his life will be held on Monday, March 25 from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at Lucas Funeral Home at 1601 South Main Street, Keller, TX. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research or The American Heart Association