Obituary of Ronald J Cartrette

Ronald Joe Cartrette, beloved husband, father, grandfather, and friend, passed away on Thursday, November 9^th, 2023.  A longtime resident of Rockledge and Viera, Florida, his peaceful crossing to be with our Father in Heaven occurred in the comfort of his home and surrounded by his loving family.

Ron was born on October 15^th, 1941, in Lumberton, NC, and was the second of three children born to Rupert Dale Cartrette and Mary Edna Ivey.

He graduated from Churchland High School in Portsmouth, VA, and attended college at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. Ron worked in the Newport News Shipyard, making significant contributions to our Nation’s security during the Cold War building submarines for the U.S. Navy.  He later used those skills as a Senior Project Manager for Stone & Webster Engineering, constructing, outfitting, and operating the country’s largest portfolio of nuclear power reactors.  Ron culminated his distinguished career as an industrial power systems subject matter expert for Mitsubishi, a global power systems leader.

Ron will be remembered for many things, both amusing and substantive.  He was a passionate golfer and enjoyed sharing a day on the links with family and friends.  He loved to laugh with others, and often resorted to a repertoire that became family sayings.  If Ron could speak to us from Heaven, he would say, “Glad you got to see me!”.

Ron met his wife and soulmate, Patricia Ann Larson, in Portsmouth, VA, and following a whirlwind romance, they were married on June 13^th, 1981.  To the day he died, Ron referred to his loving wife Pat as “His Lady”.       

Ron was a man of deep love for his family.  He was affectionately known as “Jagee” in his later years, a variation of the Polish term of endearment for Grandfather.  Ron is survived by his children Rhonda Chaffin and her husband, Todd; Eric Froehlich and his wife, Stephanie; and Julie Ray, and her husband Cody.  Ron was blessed with seven grandchildren, Cody, Connor, Hayden, Meredith, Ethan, Amelia, and Isabelle, and four great-grandchildren.  Jagee was also a father figure and mentor to an extended family of nephews, nieces, and cousins.  Ron’s legacy is his love and providence for family and friends.

Ron was a faithful member of Saint Mary’s Catholic Church of Rockledge, FL.  He was an active volunteer for the church, and a member of the Knights of Columbus.  Ron and Pat have deep relationships with their church family, and those friendships were a treasure to him in later years.

A funeral mass will be held in Ron’s honor at St. Mary’s Catholic Church on Thursday, November 16^th, 2023, at 12:00, to be followed by a graveside service for family and close friends at Riverview Memorial Gardens Cemetery in Cocoa.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made in memory of Ronald Cartrette to St. Mary’s Catholic Church (www.stmaryrockledge.org).  The link to the offertory general fund is: https://secure.myvanco.com/L-Z98A/home.