Ronald Emilio Romano Jr.

Ronald Emilio Romano Jr., 58, Rosemary Beach, Florida left this earthly world on June 19th, 2025 at 4:44pm in the loving presence of his family and close friends.

He was born January 24th, 1967 in New Orleans, Louisiana the son of Donna Jean (Ware) Luedtke and the late Ronald Emilio Romano Sr..

Graduating from Smoky Hill High School in Aurora, CO in 1985. He earned a BA in political science from the University of Colorado, Boulder in 1989. Ron was a member of Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity (Alpha chapter).

Ron married his one true love Lauren Schoenherr Romano on June 17th, 1994 in Boulder, CO. Their meeting was fated as a photo was taken of them at a party months before they knew each other, standing back to back. After becoming dance partners for a sorority/fraternity function, the two never parted.

A lifetime entrepreneur full of inspiring ideas. Ron began his career at West Point Properties. He also worked as a day trader for CFAM and was the former owner of PPMI Boulder, CO.

In 2003 his family relocated to the scenic beaches of Walton County, Florida. Most people thought he was crazy, but to Ron it was the best decision he ever made. He would say that driving that U-haul from CO to FL was the most freeing experience of his life.

Ron, with his best friend Andy Wiggins, started their real estate company. The humble beginnings of this business began in the dining room of his home on misplaced patio furniture, surrounded by three adopted basset hounds and two toddlers. The two have co-owned The Beach Group for over 20 years.

He is survived by his wife Lauren S. Romano of Rosemary Beach, FL, daughter Georgia (Gigi) Romano of Jupiter, FL, sons Dalton Romano and Brock Romano of Rosemary Beach, FL, mother Donna Ware Luedtke of Santa Rosa Beach, FL and many many special family members and friends.

Ron was a dad first. He would volunteer to coach anything the kids choose to do football, basketball, soccer etc. In addition to his family, travel was his passion. If you saw his social media posts you would swear he never worked. But he truly worked as hard as he played. In the past four years he started referring middle and high school football games. He boasted it was the closest thing to actually playing and got paid to workout.

The feeling of freedom was very important to him. Ron lived life to the fullest. Always sharing random facts, he was referred to as "Stats" by both his high school and college friends, who he treasured. The Arizona crew also meant the world to him, traveling multiple times a year for the Waste Management Open, Barrett-Jackson auto auction or other celebrations. If you were to ask those who loved him about his qualities you would hear generous, loyal, fun and wicked smart.

Music was part of his soul language. He loved all genres. The Eagles, Sinatra, Willy Nelson, Creedence Clearwater Revival and Modern English to name a few. Ron knew every word to Rapper's Delight by The Sugar Hill Gang and if you're lucky, you might have heard him recite these lyrics.

While Ron bleeds black and gold for the Colorado Buffalos, he also loved live sporting events. He was known for hitting all the major experiences with his best buds...Super Bowl, Indy 500, National Championships and most recently the NCAA final four games, in San Antonio, with his two sons.

Creativity flowed when building and decorating spec homes. His alter ego was nicknamed "Ronaldo" by his friends at work. This also came through when there was an occasion to dress up. For Halloween you might see him in an authentic mariachi outfit complete with a sombrero and guitar or a politically incorrect BP worker from the 2010 Gulf oil spill.

He could talk about world events with deep knowledge and true understanding. Always wanting to learn and grow as a person. Ron would introduce himself while traveling and ask "Where are you from?”. He truly wanted to get to know them better and understand their life perspective.

When in preschool he informed his mom that he would not go if he had to take a nap. The two of them had a very special relationship, they were a team. His mom arranged for him to color while the other kids slept and so his education began. In high school he may or may not have let thousands of crickets go over the 2nd floor balcony during passing period or started a food fight in the cafeteria. College brought out his true colors and he found his calling as social chair dawning very colorful blazers sewn by his momma.

While there are so many memories to share, here are a few. A trip to Vegas for Ron? Of course! This last one was for a bikini convention, as he fully supported Georgia's current business venture, Gigi Kini LLC. Ron was also seen rolling into Dalton's parents' weekend at ASU wearing a shirt that said "That's a terrible idea, what time?" and holding the ingredients for kamikaze's. This past year he watched Brock become the 8th grade class president and be on the ECMS district championship teams for both football and basketball. Traveling to Italy with the family and immersing himself in his ancestry was one of his greatest JOYS.

Lastly, he was most proud of his three children. He guided Gigi in her entrepreneurial endeavors and admired her creativity. Seeing Dalton graduate cum laude and having the best four years of his life while doing it, brought him great happiness. Ron would secretly tell you that his youngest Brock was his "favorite child". Brock impressed him daily with his internal dedication to furthering his athletic ability, dry sense of humor and ability to make many great friends.

This is Ron's favorite quote. It was attached to his work email:

“Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well-preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside a cloud of smoke, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming “Wow! What a Ride!”

And that is just what he did…

A Celebration of Life is being planned for the fall. Details to follow.