Obituary of Ronald Allan Cathcart

Ronald Allan Cathcart, of Welland, Ontario passed away on December 3, 2023 at the age of 80 of respiratory failure at Niagara General Hospital after a four week decline in health after surgery at Hamilton General Hospital. Ron was born on June 18, 1943 in Hamilton, Ontario to Marjorie Marion Cathcart and Bertram Hayes Cathcart, both from Winnipeg Manitoba.

Ron graduated from Blakelock High School in Oakville where he was known for his contributions to the gymnastic teams, both as a competitor and as a coach. Coming from a family that served in the second World War, Ron wanted to continue the tradition and joined the Air Cadets and a drum core that later led him to join the army where he enjoyed sky diving and earned his pilot licence. He graduated from the Royal Canadian School of Artillery and reached the rank of Captain with the Canadian Army when in 1968 he was suddenly diagnosed with type one diabetes.

As he was a man of action who would not be happy sitting behind a desk, he preferred to retire to pursue studies in engineering at the University of Waterloo in Kitchener, Ontario, where he also met his first wife Barbara Kropf. After a few years of studying, he felt there was a lack of hands on experience and he decided to take a break from his studies and travelled to Israel to work as a volunteer on a kibbutz. He spent seven years on Kibbutz Reshafim where he became a member of the kibbutz and in 1978 he met Eva, who also arrived as a volunteer and later became his second wife. They spent two years on the kibbutz together then a year in Sweden where they married in 1981.

Ron decided that he wanted to study as a computer technician and returned to Canada with his second wife. He graduated as a Computer Engineering Technician from Sheridan College of Applied Arts and Technology and worked for companies such as Xerox and Sun Microsystems. As technology changed and computer parts were replaced rather than repaired, Ron retired from computer work at age 55, had a brief rest and then worked as an energy consultant before his final career as copier technical advisor and later as a smart phone technical advisor. After he retired (the third time) he still enjoyed going to the Niagara Parks, the Horticultural Gardens, Safari Niagara Zoo, Killman Zoo and African Lion Safari, even if in the later years he had to use a scooter to get around.

Ron will be missed by his wife Eva, his sister Laurie, her husband Paul, all his friends at Killman Zoo and all his friends and family members that he has kept in touch with through Facebook.

A private celebration of Life will be held in the spring/summer of 2024 for immediate family members and close friends. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to The Nature Concervancy of Canada, an organization Ron felt strongly about.