Lt. Col. Ronald Dean Blenis, USAF (Ret), 85, A True American Veteran

By  //  May 31, 2012

obituary

BREVARD COUNTY • MELBOURNE, FLORIDA — Lt. Col. Ronald Dean Blenis, USAF (Ret), 85, of Melbourne, died May 25, 2012 in Melbourne, Florida.

Ron was born in South Gate, California, the third son of Chester and Mina Blenis.

They were from Iowa where he spent the majority of his childhood.

He enlisted in the Army in 1947, and transferred to pilot training in 1948. Upon completing pilot training he was commissioned a 2nd Lieutenant in the Air Force. He became a bomber pilot and flew the B-29 on 27 combat missions during the Korean Conflict. He later transitioned to the B-47.

He earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Nebraska in 1964. Overseas duty stations included Greece and Germany. He retired from the air force in 1969.

He later became a math teacher, and taught for 13 years for Brevard Public Schools.

Ron and his wife Maggie loved to travel abroad, and especially enjoyed cruising.

Survivors include a son, Brian (Debra), a daughter, Rhonda Adams (Drew), three grandchildren and four great grandchildren.

He was predeceased by his wife Margaret in 2006.

A memorial service will be held on June 4, 2012 at 3:00 p.m. at Brownlie- Maxwell Funeral Home, with family visitation at 2:00 p.m.

Burial service will be on June 5, 2012 at 11:30 a.m. at Florida National Cemetery in Bushnell, Florida.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Alzheimer’s Foundation of America, 322 Eighth Ave., 7th fl., New York, New York 10001