Ronald A. Gaertner
Ronald A. Gaertner, 85, of Charleston, WV, passed away from complications of Lewy body disease at Kanawha Place on Thursday, March 21, 2024.
Ron was born in Saginaw, MI, and was the only son of the late Albert and Ella (Coppinger) Gaertner. A graduate of Saginaw High School, he earned an A.S. degree from Bay City Junior College, B.S. and M.S. degrees in Wildlife Management from Michigan State University, and a Ph.D. in Zoology from the University of Arkansas. He spent three years as a post-doc and visiting research scientist at the National Research Council in Ottawa, Canada. He retired from West Virginia Institute of Technology after 30 years as Professor of Biology.
Survivors include his loving wife, Lisa Ferrara, numerous cousins in Michigan and surrounding states, and many in-laws in New England.
His love of nature and skills in wildlife photography led him to his travels across the world: from Canada and the U.S. to Europe, Australia, Africa, South America, and the Caribbean. He enjoyed hiking, cross-country skiing, or simply walking in forests, on mountaintops, and along beaches. He loved his dogs, especially his toy poodles: Cookie, Fiona, Finian, and Astra.
He was a devoted husband, a dedicated mentor to his students, and a good and kind friend. He will be deeply missed by all who knew and loved him.
A special note of appreciation is expressed to the workers of HospiceCare WV, who cared for Ron in Putnam and Kanawha Counties, showing him kindness and giving him dignity in his last weeks of life.
A celebration of his life will be held at Snodgrass Funeral Home on Tuesday, April 2, 2024, at 7 p.m., with a visitation beginning at 5:30 p.m.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in his memory to the Alzheimer’s Association (www.alz.org) or to the Nature Conservancy in West Virginia (www.nature.org).
Memories of Ron may be shared by visiting http://snodgrassfuneral.com and selecting the obituary. Arrangements are in care of Snodgrass Funeral Home, South Charleston.
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I had Dr. Gartner for several classes 1971-1975 at WVIT. I always enjoyed his classes and he was a great professor and mentor.
I was stunned to hear the news about Ron and wish to share condolences to Lisa and everyone in the family. Ron was a quiet but dedicated colleague at West Virginia Tech who was highly regarded by his students and all of us on the faculty.. Until now, I was unaware he hailed from Saginaw, which was very close to where I grew up in northern rural Michigan. Ron was a member of a fabulous Biology Department at Tech and his contribution to academic quality will be greatly missed. Thank you, Ron, for making a difference to the many who were part of your life in West Virginia. John David/Economics and Social Sciences/Faculty Assembly/WV Tech