Benjamin Ronn

Benjamin Ronn (né Rotenfeld) died on January 6, 2018 at the age of 87. Ben was born August 12, 1930, in a Tel-Aviv hospital. At the time, his family lived in Petach-Tikvah, Palestine. He was predeceased by his parents David and Sypora (Segal) Ronn. Ben went to high school in Netanya, Israel, and at Regent Street Polytechnic in London, UK. He participated throughout Israel in athletic competitions and won several medals in the discus and javelin. In 1948, at the age of 18, he was accepted into the first flying class of the Israel Air Force and flew Spitfires in Israel's War of Independence. He then served from 1948-1953 as a flight instructor at Kfar Sirkin in Israel. He came to the United States in 1953 to study at Oklahoma A&M (now Oklahoma State University) and continued at the University of Washington in Seattle. He graduated with a BS in Aeronautical Engineering from The Catholic University in Washington, D.C. While in Washington, D.C., he met Joan Kay Wisser on her 23rd birthday. They married in May 1957 and celebrated their 60thanniversary in 2017. In 1958, he graduated with a Masters in Aeronautical Engineering from Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta. He began his engineering career in New Jersey and then moved to Long Island, NY and Chicago. In August 1968, the family relocated to Houston, where Ben had a distinguished career as an entrepreneur heading up businesses in various industries such as real estate, security, computers, oil and gas and eyewear. He was a board member of the Houston Chapter of the MIT Enterprise Forum and of the American Technion Society. He served as President of the Houston Chapter of ATS from 1988-1990. He was an officer and director of the Texas-Israel Chamber of Commerce while it was based in Houston. He loved to travel and went around the world on many business and pleasure trips. Some of his greatest joys included staying in contact and visiting with relatives and friends from his early years. He is survived by his two children, David (Ann) and Michoel (Reva), along with his grandchildren, Gabrielle, Netanya, Ahava and Basya. Funeral Service will be at 10:30 am on January 8, 2018 at Congregation Brith Shalom. Burial will follow at noon at Beth Yeshurun cemetery on Post Oak. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations in Ben's name to the American Technion Society (ats.org). The family would like to thank everyone for their kindness and support.

Benjamin Ronn

August 12, 1930 - January 6, 2018