Ronald Martin Currie

Currie, Ronald Martin, 89, of Sarasota FL passed away on November 23, 2025, at Aviva Rehabilitation Center in Sarasota. He was only there for 1 day after leaving Sarasota Memorial Hospital after a bout of pneumonia. He was a resident The Desoto Palms Assisted Living Home in Sarasota. He was born to James A Currie and Opal (Willard) Currie on January 12, 1936, in Verona, Pennsylvania. He was predeceased by his parents, sister Lorraine Flannagan and her husband Richard, brother James A Currie and his wife Genevieve, sister Jane Wolfe and her husband Lewis. He is survived by his nieces and nephews, Timothy Flannagan of Connecticut, David Flannigan, Kathy Chavez and her husband John, Judy Vader & fiancée Arnold of Metamora, Michigan, James Currie of Canton, NY, Jan Currie Solberg of Gardnerville, Nevada, Carol Currie Gillerin (husband Ted) of Sarasota, FL and Rick Currie of Jamestown, RI. He also leaves many great nieces & nephews. He also left behind a very special young man whom he considered his "grandson" Ryan Brewer. There are many great friends who will miss him dearly. He attended Oakmont High School where he played soccer & football. He loved a lot of sports and excelled in football when in 1959 he was drafted to The Green Bay Packers and knew Johnny Unitis and Bart Starr. He caught passes from each of them. His career ended quickly as he suffered a knee injury. He later joined the US Army and was part of Berlin Brigade from 1957-1961 and served as a firefighter from 1961 - 1963 in Orlando FL. He was part of the rugby team, the Northern Growlers and played in Trinidad for 18 months. He was called "Yankee Boy" in a 1967 race car championship. Ron ventured into many careers along the way. He worked at NASA as a Cryptologist to decipher in-coming messages from around the world. He worked there from 1963-1974. He was proud that he worked for NASA for the Apollo 11 mission to the moon in 1969. He loved playing golf and played so many courses in his lifetime. He had many golfing friends that he kept in touch with even after he suffered a stroke. Ron finally retired from the Postal Service after 34 years in 2002. He had traveled the world and never settled down. He had many long-term relationships with Lynne, Eva, Janet & Judy. His favorite song was "Crystal Blue Persuasion" by Tommy James and The Shondells. Peter, Paul and Mary's "Leaving on a Jet Plane." was his second favorite. He was always traveling somewhere. He had his favorite eating places, best Dinner was The Charthouse at 16 Clarke St in Newport, RI, Pete's Tavern on 19th St, NY and The Penguin in the West Village on 15th St, Manhattan. He was a member of many clubs and originations including, The American Legion, The Volcano Club, Macqueripe Club, West Indies, BBC Club Key Club International, including Berlin, Monaco, Paris, Rome, Madrid, Rio, New York, Chicago and Miami Beach. He was also a member of Big Summer Golf Club. Ron enjoyed his stay at The Desoto Palms Retirement Home in Sarasota FL. Everyone knew him as he would tell his stories of football, girlfriends, NASA, Pittsburgh Steelers, as well as so many of his other interests. He would always remember the names of his neighbors at Desoto Palms. The family would like to thank the staff for their professionalism, kindness and caring that they showed him and his niece Carol every time she visited. He was very thankful for all they did. Services are not complete at this time.

Tributes

Ronald Martin Currie

January 12, 1936 - November 23, 2025