Service Information for Richard

Viewing (updated!)

There will be a viewing Wednesday, April 25, from 6:00 to 8:00 PM at Parent-Sorenson Mortuary. They are located at 850 Keokuk St., in Petaluma (link to Google Maps).
 
Obituary
Richard's obituary is available online at the Community Voice, Press Democrat, and Parent-Sorenson Mortary.

Funeral
The funeral service will be held Thursday, April 26, 4:00 PM, also at Parent-Sorenson Mortuary.

Celebration of Life

There will be a Celebration of Life following the funeral, (now confirmed) at ELI (Early Learning Institute) in Rohnert Park.

ELI is located at 311 Professional Center Drive, in Suite 100, Rohnert Park, CA.

To Help

If you would like to help for the Celebration of Life or with meals, please visit the Meals and Help Sign Ups page.

• Michelle Rogers, ELI Director, says food or other items may be dropped off as early as 8:30AM Thursday.
    
• ELI has 2 refrigerators there, so if your food has to be refrigerated, no worries.
    
• If you have a cooler, please bring it to help handle to drinks and any extra food.
    
• If you need a headcount, we guesstimate 50.  SO - plan for 50.
    
• Set-up starts at 2:00 PM, which should allow enough time to both set up and attend the funeral.  ELI will also have some people there as well helping to set-up.
    
• Re: the sign-up site, if you haven't gone there yet, a heads-up... When the row is blank/white, the items have been taken care of on the after-party sheet, and on the meal sheet, the date is full (both breakfast & dinner are taken) so sign-ups are closed. Sign-up sheets are filling up fast. It's just awesome.

(updated 04/24/12)

Week One: For Ronnie

For those of you who do not know Ronnie, she's an incredible woman, friend and mother to two teen-aged boys with autism.

Not only does she advocate and fight for what is best for them, she has touched the lives of countless families in Sonoma County and beyond. For many years she has helped and informed other parents of children with special needs though her work with Autism Speaks and the Early Learning Institute (ELI). Ronnie has constantly worked hard to raise money and awareness to support programs for children and families in the county.

Last Thursday, April 19th, her husband Richard passed away while traveling on business. It was sudden, unexpected, and created a huge upheaval in their family.

Ronnie has always been there to support her family, friends, coworkers, and clients. Now it is her turn to be supported. So many have offered prayers and help, yet at such a time it is difficult to think about what is needed and ask for assistance.

This site is intended to consolidate message for Ronnie and her family, as well as serve as a posting place for items / assistance needed. News may be updated here as well, including any upcoming fundraisers, where to send correspondence to Ronnie, and information about the trust fund that will be set up for the boys.

Thank you for stopping by. We'll try to post an address as well for those of you who have further questions.