Ronald “Ron” Anthony Pontiff

Ronald “Ron” Anthony Pontiff lived a life that was anything but ordinary.

Ron was a father, son, twin brother, friend, golfer, inventor, entrepreneur, and—especially during the final chapter of his life—a fighter.

Of all the titles he carried, none meant more to him than being the father of his daughter, Kelsey. She was one of the greatest sources of pride and love in his life. Family was at the center of Ron’s final years. His twin brother, Don, became far more than a brother as Ron’s health declined. Don became his caregiver, his hands when Ron could no longer use his own, and the person who stood beside him through some of the hardest days of his life.

Ron's mother, Shelby, remained a deeply devoted and extraordinary presence in his life until the very end. Throughout Ron’s battle with ALS, Shelby helped Don care for him, expressing her love in one of the ways she always had—by taking care of her son. Whatever Ron asked for, she cooked for him. She did her best to prepare every meal he wanted, offering comfort and care through something as simple and meaningful as food. Even as ALS made eating increasingly difficult, she continued doing all she could to nourish and care for him. Together, Shelby and Don made it possible for Ron to remain surrounded by the people who loved him and supported him through the most difficult chapter of his life. Ron was preceded in death by his father, Melvin Pontiff, who passed away in 2014, and his older brother, Joey Pontiff, who passed away in 2019.

Long before ALS entered his world, Ron had already packed more than a few lifetimes into one. Sports and competition were part of him from childhood. He played quarterback for the River Bend Seahawks and was part of a state championship baseball team before discovering the game that would become one of the great passions of his life: golf. Ron became a scratch golfer as a teenager and eventually played to a +4 handicap. Over the years, he won 12 club championships at three different clubs, made seven holes-in-one, played 27 consecutive rounds in the 60s, and once made an incredible nine birdies in a row. Golf wasn’t simply something Ron did, it was part of who he was. He loved the competition, the friendships, the pressure and, perhaps more than anything, standing over a putt believing he was going to make it.

That competitive spirit extended far beyond the golf course. Ron was an inventor who held 11 patents and spent much of his life taking ideas that other people might have dismissed and figuring out how to make them real. One of those inventions, the Safe-T-Stool, eventually took him all the way to QVC. He worked with engineers, developed products, owned his own sign business and seemingly never stopped thinking about what he could invent or create next. Ron was a dreamer, but he wasn’t content simply to dream, he wanted to build the damn thing.

He also believed deeply in giving. Money was never the only way Ron measured generosity. To him, giving meant helping someone when they needed it, making somebody laugh, giving someone an opportunity, picking up a check, sharing what he had, or doing something good simply because he could. He often described himself very simply: “I’ve been a giver my whole life—even when I didn’t have money.”

Then came the fight he never asked for. After undergoing extensive spinal surgery in August 2023, Ron’s life changed dramatically. He was subsequently diagnosed with ALS, Lou Gehrig’s disease. ALS began taking away the things Ron had always taken for granted. Eventually, it took golf. It took much of the use of his arms and hands. It made eating and swallowing increasingly difficult. It affected his breathing, his strength, his independence and ultimately his ability to communicate the way he once had. But there was one thing ALS had a hell of a time taking from Ron Pontiff: His determination.

Ron was given frightening predictions about how much time he had left, and he repeatedly outlived them. Even as his body became weaker, his mind kept working; he kept coming up with ideas, he kept joking, he kept giving people hell, he kept caring about the people around him. And most importantly, he kept showing up. Ron never wanted his life reduced to ALS, because ALS was only the final chapter of a much bigger story.

His life wasn’t perfect, and Ron certainly wouldn’t have wanted anyone pretending that it was. He made mistakes, he took chances, he won, he lost, he invented things, he started businesses, and he hit golf balls better than most people ever dreamed of hitting them. He loved people, he pissed a few people off, he made people laugh, and he accumulated more than a few stories that probably shouldn’t appear in an obituary.

But above all else, Ron lived. He competed, he invented, he loved, he gave. And when life finally handed him an opponent he couldn’t beat, Ron still refused to stop fighting.

Ron leaves behind his daughter, Kelsey; his twin brother, Don; his beloved mother, Shelby; his niece, Zoey; his cat, Lucky and his extended family; and a circle of friends whose lives are filled with stories and memories of him. For those who knew Ron well, perhaps the best way to remember him isn’t by focusing on how he died. Remember the golfer standing over a putt believing he was going to make it. Remember the inventor who believed an idea everyone else thought was crazy just might work. Remember the entrepreneur who was always thinking about the next thing. Remember the friend who could make you laugh. Remember the son whose mother was still cooking whatever he asked for when he needed her most. Remember the twin brother whose bond with Don became even stronger when life became unimaginably difficult. Remember the father who loved his daughter, Kelsey. And remember the man who, even when ALS knocked him down again and again, kept finding a way to say:

“I’m still here.”

A Celebration of Ron’s Life will be held on Thursday, September 10, 2026, at 6:00 p.m. at Maola at Riverside, 1400 N Craven St, New Bern, NC 28560. Family and friends are invited to gather to honor Ron, share memories, and celebrate his life. A visitation will follow the celebration until 8:00 P.M.

Bennett Funeral & Cremation Care is honored to serve the family and friends of Ronald “Ron” Anthony Pontiff.