remembering Ron

"Below, is the obituary that was put together mostly by Jenny and Mike and I added my 2cents. And following that, the above mentioned story from Ron’s Jr high school friend—we went to their 50th high school reunion together 5 years ago. Love to all of you,Julia

OBITUARY: Ronald Zorn, 72, of Poland Spring, died peacefully at his home on Thursday, February 14, 2008, succumbing to prostate cancer. Born in Philadelphia he established a strong work ethic early in life, learning to provide for himself in his teens after the estrangement of his parents and death of his mother.

He was married in 1966. Three years later, he and his wife and infant son left the city life of Philadelphia, moving to Poland Spring with two beloved dogs in tow.

Ron graduated an English major from Temple University in 1957. His love of and appreciation for literature and in particular poetry lasted his life. A Masters of Social Work degree from the University of Pennsylvania in 1962 led to a life commitment to being available to those who sought counseling. As a clinical social worker he quickly appreciated the value of engaging a family systems approach in relieving individual struggle. He was a founding member of the Smiling Moose Family Therapy Alliance. His ongoing interest in poetry and the creative writing process drew him to engage in the Masters of Fine Arts program at Goddard College, which he completed in 1994.

Ron was known for his unconditional giving to the dogs and cats that moved in and out of his life, his interest in and knowledge of blues and early jazz, his affection for and collection of books, his thorough reading of daily newspapers, and his dedication to the creative writing process and his writers groups. He enjoyed a diverse selection of movies, often initiating animated discussions afterward. A devoted sports spectator, his commitment to the Red Sox was total and his understanding and acceptance of the “dance” of boxing mystified many. At age 42 he took up running. He was a member of the Androscoggin Harriers Running Club, enjoying the camaraderie and competition. He participated and completed numerous races, including 11 marathons.

He is survived by his wife of 41 years, Julia Huttel, their son, Michael Zorn and his wife, Nicole Cawley, of Connecticut, and their daughter, Jennifer Zorn and her husband, Joe Greeley of South Portland, and two cats.

Ron wished to acknowledge and express his appreciation to all the people who sought his counsel over the years, allowing him to develop and share his skills to support movement beyond disabling emotional pain and personal struggle. Ron believed in the inherent goodness of all people. His thoughtful reflections on life, his way of thinking and associations, his contagious enthusiasm towards his many eclectic interests and his gentle, kind ways of connecting with his family, friends, and clients will be missed.

The family wishes to thank Androscoggin Home Health Care and Hospice, whose in-home hospice services were greatly appreciated. Funeral services will be private at the family home. In lieu of flowers, Ron requested that people practice random acts of kindness.

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Junior High School

Who is that kid with the thick glasses reading every day from a huge book? I watched the number of pages gradually shift from thin on the left to thin on the right. “He’s really going to do it. I gotta talk to this kid.”, and that’s how we first met.

Later talks with Ron convinced me that there really was such a thing as great literature – I remember once asking him,”Why a poem, Ron? To this day I don’t have the faintest idea what I meant. Ron, for the next 60 years patiently explained. It became part of the mortar that binds a friendship.

We were both “Intelligent underachievers” and struggling through high school, but we were brilliant in chemistry – I bet you didn’t know that Ron was the inventor/discoverer of Zornium, a metallic element with miraculous qualities, with its own atomic valence and molecular structure, while I produced Tuonium and the greta Zornium-Tuonium war broke out in 10th grade chemistry class.

We also had Phillies vs. A’s arguments – Ron was a fanatical A’s fan, and I an equally rabid Phillies fan. We’d argue for the length of the baseball season as towhich of Philadelphia’s last place teams was better than the other. Contrary to what you may have been led to believe, Ron was not born a Red Sox fan.

Ron couldn’t get Spanish, and it was from lack of trying. He refused to study vocabulary and was totally indifferent to Spanish grammar. Fifty years after high school we vacationed together in Guatemala. I could report no progress.

In college, it was Ron, the center city dweller, the aspiring poet and writer. My admiration for him leaped to new heights after this conversation while sitting in his apartment one evening.

Me – “Ron you have four clocks and all four are slightly off, no two times are alike?

Ron – Well, I need to know the time. It’s important in my everyday life, but I don’t really want to know the exact time. He changed the way in which I let time intrude in my life. To this day, I wear no watch.

So time ran out on Ron, but he hasn’t run out of my heart and he planted a nice little garden that I’ll keep cultivated until time runs out on me. I’m gonna miss Ron."