Dr. Ronald Gordon "Ron" Gingrich

1942 - 2012  (69 years)

• Name	Ronald Gordon "Ron" Gingrich
  Prefix	Dr.
  Born	20 Sep 1942
  Gender	Male
  Interesting	fire, accident, life story
  Misfortune	2 Jan 2012
  	killed in fire
  Eby ID Number	Waterloo-187310
  Died	2 Jan 2012	Wilmot Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada
  Person ID	I187310	Generations
  Last Modified	6 Apr 2024

  
  

  Father	Freeman Gingrich,   b. 21 Sep 1906, , Ontario, Canada ,   d. 7 Jul 1955  (Age 48 years)
  Mother	Mary Horst,   b. 7 Nov 1913, Woolwich Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada ,   d. 29 Jul 2016, Cambridge, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada  (Age 102 years)
  Family ID	F53586	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family	Lois May Thoman,   b. 16 Jun 1943,   d. 2 Jan 2012, Wilmot Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada  (Age 68 years)
  Last Modified	7 Apr 2024
  Family ID	F53584	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

• Notes

  GINGRICH, Ronald and Lois Passed away unexpectedly at their home on January 2, 2012. Dearly missed and survived by their son Jeffrey and his wife Anita Volikis, daughter Meredith Gingrich and her husband Chris Vermaat. Exceptional and proud grandparents of Gillian and Daniel Vermaat. Survived by Ron's mother Mary Shantz, brothers David and Raymond and the Shantz family. Also survived by Lois' sisters Gale, Linda, Glenna and sister-in-law Alma. Friends are invited to share their memories of Lois and Ron during memorial visitation at the Erb & Good Family Funeral Home , 171 King St. S., Waterloo on Friday, January 6th from 7-9 p.m. and on Saturday, January 7th from 2-4 and 7-9 p.m. A memorial service will be held at St. Jacobs Mennonite Church, 1310 King St. N., St. Jacobs on Sunday, January 8th at 3 p.m. Condolences for the family and donations to the Canadian Cancer Society or the Mennonite Central Committee would be appreciated as expressions of sympathy and may be arranged through the funeral home at www.erbgood.com or 519-745-8445. NEW DUNDEE \\ Colleagues and family are mourning a well-known Cambridge physician and his wife who they believe died during a fire that destroyed their country home this week. Dr. Ron Gingrich and his wife Lois, both in their late 60s, owned a yellow-brick century home on Township Road 12, just a few kilometres south of New Dundee. On Monday morning, the home burned to the ground and two bodies were found inside. Although police still haven't officially identified the victims, friends, neighbours and family say it's the Gingriches. The pair remain missing and their vehicles are at the house. As a family physician, Gingrich treated thousands of patients over four decades at the Grandview Medical Centre on Hespeler Road. He was one of the medical centre's "founding fathers" who started working at the clinic in 1971. He was known for his trademark Birkenstock sandals and plaid shirts, according to colleagues, and had a down-to-earth style with patients. Gingrich retired in June 2009, but continued to work part time at the centre filing in for vacations and maternity leaves. He also worked part time in the operating room at the Cambridge Memorial Hospital. "Just a couple of weeks ago, he was still wandering our halls," said Jeff Poll, Grandview's executive director. "He was fantastic man. He was a great physician, and he will be missed." He's remembered as a kind physician who loved his job. "Ron loved his patients, colleagues, and the staff he worked with. He would walk the halls of Grandview, often stopping to chat with staff and other physicians. He had a great sense of humour, he laughed a lot but was always kind and caring," read a statement by the staff at Grandview. Dr. Gingrich's younger brother, Raymond Gingrich, said the family has been left reeling by the discovery. The pair had two adult children, Jeffery and Meredith, and two grandchildren. "I'm still in shock," Gingrich said. "I came home last night and there were about 20 messages on my phone." The Ontario Provincial Police couldn't say when they might be able to identify the remains found inside the house. The bodies were to undergo a post-mortem exam Wednesday, which could suggest a cause of death. "They'll be looking at a lot of things," said OPP Const. Stacey Culbert. "Whatever the coroner and pathologist have decided to look into, we'll have to leave that up to them." Dozens of firefighters from all four Blandford-Blenheim Township fire departments, along with firefighters from Woodstock, battled the blaze for several hours. The Ontario Fire Marshall's office is still trying to determine the cause. gmercer@therecord.com ************************************************ Fire that killed couple remains a mystery NEW DUNDEE Mystery continues to swirl around a fire last Monday that killed two residents of a rural home near New Dundee. Dr. Ron Gingrich, 69, and his wife Lois, 68, were found dead following a fire that destroyed their home on Blandford-Blenheim Township Road 12, just a few kilometres from the southern edge of Waterloo Region. Both the Ontario Provincial Police and the Ontario Fire Marshal's office continue to investigate, and they have not released either the cause of the fire or the couple's cause of death. The fire broke out around 10: 30 a.m. last Monday. The house was already engulfed in flames when firefighters from all four of the Blandford-Blenheim fire stations arrived. The Woodstock fire department joined in battling the blaze. It took fire crews more than 24 hours to fully extinguish the hot spots in the ruins Memorial services were held for the couple over the weekend. Dr. Gingrich, a family physician, retired in 2009 from his practice at the Grandview Medical Centre on Hespeler Road in Cambridge. His wife was a substitute teacher who played the piano. "She (Lois) used to walk a lot," said Wayne Steffler, who lives across the gravel country road from the couple's now-demolished home, adding that the habit tapered off in the past few years. He didn't know the Gingrichs well. The couple were homebodies who kept to themselves, but they were friendly neighbours who always waived hello, he said. The last time he recalls seeing the pair together was during a blackout last April, when Steffler walked over to ensure the couple were doing OK after a few days without power. He said it was unfortunate his two daughters were home last week during the school break to watch as investigators came and went from the scene, and as an excavator knocked down the thick yellow-brick walls that withstood the flames. "It's pretty awful," Steffler said, "especially to watch it out your window all week." On Saturday morning, the former site of the yellow-brick home was quiet. A single car was parked near the now-empty foundations and a gate had been put up across the property's driveway. acsanady@therecord.com

  
  

• Event Map

  Died - 2 Jan 2012 - Wilmot Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada  = Link to Google Earth