Ronald Boyd Caldwell

Ronald Boyd Caldwell passed away on January 6, 2022 at the age of 74, following a long battle with Parkinson’s disease.  Ronald managed his illness with strength and grace, wanting to spend as much time as possible with his friends and loved ones.  Ronald was born in Riverdale, MD, the youngest of five children.  He was known by friends and family as Ron or Ronnie.  He graduated from the University of MD where he met his wife and went on to a career in the United States Secret Service.

He was a loving husband to his wife, Joanne, and a devoted father to his children Chrissy, Sarah and her husband Soren, and Dan and his wife Victoria.  He adored his grandchildren Alex, Patrick, Benjamin, Claire and Samantha.  

In his spare time, he loved visiting with his children and grand-children, volunteering, gardening, camping, biking and hiking.  He enjoyed being active and physically fit, excelling in swimming and basketball. He liked to work with his hands- he had the ability fix anything mechanical and he enjoyed working on creative school projects with his children.  He was a great teacher and role model to his children and grandchildren, always supportive of their interests.  He loved animals-especially his dog, Winston.  His favorite songs were “The Lions Sleeps Tonight” by the Tokens and Celtic tunes ‘Danny Boy” and ‘Tura Lura.”  He was outgoing and had the ‘gift of gab’- he loved to talk and meet new people, sharing stories about his experiences working in the White House, traveling the world, his family and his heritage.  

A funeral mass service will be held at Saint Thomas More Catholic Church in Chapel Hill, NC on Tuesday, January 18th at 10:30 a.m. 

In lieu of flowers, donations are welcome to be dedicated in his name to the Michael J. Fox Foundation www.michaeljfox.org and/or the UNC Hospice Fund. Checks should be made payable to “UNC Health Foundation” and mailed to: UNC Health Foundation, 123 W. Franklin Street, Suite 510, Chapel Hill, NC 27516. Please note UNC Hospice/memorial Ronald Caldwell on the check memo line.