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David Ronald, 50

David Ronald left us to be with our Heavenly Father on Friday, Aug. 25, 2017, at Sacred Heart Medical Center in Spokane, Wash., after complications from receiving a long-awaited kidney transplant.

David was born in Dover, Ohio, on Oct. 16, 1966, to Jack Ronald and Lucille (Lou) (Ronald) Graham.

During his childhood, his interests included a love of science, track, baseball, and some football and wrestling. He graduated from Claymont High School in Uhrichsville, Ohio, in 1985.

David worked in many different venues throughout his life, even being owner of a laundromat with his wife. One of his lifelong passions has been cooking. He was especially proud to have been learning and cooking at Keystone Resort in Colorado, and Mulligan’s Pub and Atwood Resort in Ohio. We have all been blessed by the wonderful gourmet food he has prepared for us over the years.

David met Rebecca at Stark Technical College in Ohio in an English/writing class. They became friends and later married on June 14, 1991. David received his associate’s degree in medical technology in June 1991. Later that year, the newly married couple moved to Dayton, Ohio. David worked in hospitals and other settings as a Medical Laboratory Technician and assistant in performing autopsies for many years. He later returned to school and received his Bachelor of Arts in philosophy at Wright State University in 1998.

David and his young family became involved in a small church in Spokane where he feels his life changed when he learned about God’s grace there. He became involved in various leadership positions in the church, was a youth group leader, and even spoke a few messages on the podium. This pastor led him to start looking at what his calling or gifting might be which led him to teaching. His teaching career started at Classical Christian Academy in 2001. He never just read out of books, he developed his own curriculum and spent many long days and nights perfecting his teaching. His heart and soul was in teaching. He was very passionate about the Socratic method of teaching, which is a way of asking questions wherein the student comes up with the answers themselves by applying logic and reasoning as opposed to just being told what to think.

Over the years, he taught middle and high school logic and rhetoric, history, science, Bible, great books and drama. His passion for teaching led him to also become a Debate Coach for many years, and a Drama Coach, in which he produced and led all parts of several high quality productions. He always pushed students to do more because he believed they were capable of much more.

He became a lead teacher and was one of the speakers for the first graduating class of CCA. These experiences lead him to be a part of a group of people who started a new school called Pascal Academy in which he was Headmaster and Teacher for a brief period before his failing health and other circumstances ended his career in teaching. Many of his students remained in contact with him after graduating and have become adult friends of his.

To all, he challenged us to think and question everything (even when we often didn’t want to), and not take thoughts and ideas for granted, for which we will always be thankful for.

David is survived by his wife, Rebecca; three children, Miranda, Breanna and Alexander; his mother, Lucille (Lou); and his sister, Dina and her husband Kevin, and their children, Danielle, Mandi, Devin and Andrew.

To his children and family, he will be remembered as a father who was tough on them, but always made sure that he told them how much they were loved. He represented courage, strength, truth unyielding faith and honor.

A memorial service will be held at 4 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 10, 2017, at Real Life Ministries, 1860 North Cecil Road, Post Falls, Idaho, in the upper room. A finger food reception will follow. All family and friends are welcome to come and say “Goodbye for now” and bring a snack to share at the reception if they would like.

Please visit David’s online memorial at www.englishfuneralchapel.com.