Ronald Ernest LaFreniere, born June 23, 1935, passed away peacefully on June 8, 2021, at Blaire House Nursing Home in Worcester, MA. Ronald was the son of the late Arthur A. and Gwendolyn Ernestine Brown LaFreniere of Marlborough MA.
Ronald was predeceased by his former spouse, Jeanne Casey LaFreniere and their sons, Ronald M. LaFreniere and Donald A. LaFreniere, formerly of Marlborough, MA, and his brothers, Gilbert LaFreniere and Richard LaFreniere, formerly of Marlborough, MA. Ronald is survived by his daughter Janice Reid and her husband Andre Reid of South Grafton, MA, his youngest son, Timothy LaFreniere of Marlborough, MA, and his partner Deborah Ebbeling of Northbridge, MA, as well as his Grandchildren, Amy LaFreniere and her partner Craig Vinciguerra, Great Grandson Casey Vinciguerra, Christopher LaFreniere, Maeve LaFreniere, Katie Porter Reynolds and her husband Brian Reynolds, Sally Reid and Great Grandchildren, Alexis, Timothy, Lana and Charlotte.
A long-time resident of Marlborough MA, he attended Marlborough High School. Ron took great pride as the former Head Coach of the Marlborough High School Track & Cross-Country Teams, and dedicated many years in that role. Ron’s love of running and pride in Marlborough sports contributed to the success of many young athletes throughout his years of coaching.
Ronald’s passion for long distance running, inspired him to complete a continuous run throughout 6 states (New England & New York) to raise awareness for Cancer research, when he learned of his good friend's diagnosis. He completed over 20 Boston Marathon races in his lifetime, inspiring family, and friends to participate in-kind.
For over 25 years Ronald and his brother Richard ran Dick & Ron's Television Sales & Repair, which was located on Bolton Street in Marlborough, MA. In the early 1970s he moved to Falmouth MA, where he was employed by Sears, repairing electronics and performing residential electronic installations. While in Falmouth, he continued coaching and inspiring running athletes for many years until he retired and moved to Colorado. During Ronald’s time in Colorado, he dreamed of establishing a high-altitude running training facility. After 15 years of chasing his dreams out West, he returned home, where he lived out the remainder of his years with his family, prior to moving to Blaire House in 2020.
At Ronald’s request there will not be any funeral services.
If you would like to make a donation in honor of Ronald’s memory, please do so at the following address:
St. Judes Research Hospital
501 St. Jude Place
Memphis TN, 38105
https://www.stjude.org