Ronald Leo Speel's Obituary
Ronald Leo Speel, 73, of Gainesville, Florida passed away on January 27, 2024. He was born on March 7, 1950 in Newark, New Jersey to John and Ilse (Steinhardt) Speel as the second of two children. Though he was born in New Jersey, he claimed Hollywood, FL as his childhood home. Later Ron would eventually move to Gainesville, FL and reside permanently.
Ron served with the United States Marine Corps from 1967 to 1971. He served in the Vietnam War and earned the Good Conduct Medal, Vietnam Service Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Vietnam Campaign Medal with Device, and Rifle Marksmanship Badge. He didn’t talk much about his time in Vietnam though he was proud to be a Veteran. He attended any and every event he could supporting those who served and would become instant friends with others who understand the sacrifices of service.
After his time with the Marines, Ron returned to South Florida where he spent as much of his time as possible on a boat. It did not matter the size of the boat, he simply wanted to be on the water. Eventually, he would proudly purchase a boat of his own. After working many side jobs to save up to the purchase, he affectionally named it “Side Job.” He could be found most weekends out of the year on his boat either in the Gulf of Mexico or the rivers of Central Florida.
He finished his career at North Florida Regional Medical Center later known as HCA North Florida Hospital as the Assistant Director of Plant Maintenance. He started his time at North Florida as an entry member of Maintenance but over time and performance, worked his way to Assistant Director. He would meet some of his best friends during his time at North Florida and would view each other as family.
Ron was a proud member of the Rolling Thunder motorcycle club. He attended almost every ride, whether to breakfast in the neighboring town or to Washington D.C. meeting up with the other chapters. Some of Ron’s fondest stories include rides with his fellow members. He exclusively rode Harley Davidson motorcycles and also made sure it was the most comfortable ride for him and his passengers. Ron recently upgraded from a motorcycle to a trike Harley and couldn’t wait to take it on a long trip with his buddies. Sadly he never got that opportunity.
He is survived by his wife Donna Lynn Hope of Gainesville, FL, daughters Jennifer Hunnicut of Stanfield, NC, Melissa Speel of Orlando, FL (Karen Jones), and Aimee Steil of Memphis, TN (Marcus), sister Irene Held of Ft. Lauderdale, FL, and soon-to-be granddaughter Paige Steil to whom he was excited to welcome,
A Celebration of Life will be held Saturday, February 17, 2024, at 3:00 PM at Williams-Thomas Westarea Funeral Home, 823 NW 143rd Street, with military honors. A reception will follow. in lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Rollin Thunder Motorcycle Club, https://www.rollingthunder1.com/rolling-thunder-charities.
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