Friends of Ron Thrun remembered him fondly at a memorial service May 15 at the Metropolitan Community Church where he was a member for the last 28 years.
Ron, known affectionately as Ronnieboy, passed away at age 90 on Feb. 3 after a short illness.
“He is sorely missed,” said Senior Pastor Dan Koeshall. “Ronnieboy touched more lives than we will ever know.”
“One of the things I remember about him was that smile,” said Rev. Alisan Rowland. “He was radiant. That smile was like a beam of light.”
“He was such a positive source in the world,” said Denni Coslett.
Ron enlisted in the U.S. Air Force in 1949 when he turned 18 after growing up in Buffalo, New York. He told Mo McElroy, in an interview with MCC’s Met Link, that he was required to sign a document stating he was not a communist and not a homosexual when he enlisted.
“I had to act straight and not associate with anyone who was gay,” Ron told McElroy in 2021. “If you acted flamboyant, you would lose your job.”
He was sent to England just before the Korean War broke out and was trained as an airborne radio operator. He learned Morse Code and used it to provide location information to his fellow soldiers.
From there, he was stationed in Madrid before an Air Force Base even existed. He was part of a crew that flew VIPs all over Europe.
Thrun was honored by the LGBT Center in 2021 for his military career in the Wall of Honor. Several people said at the memorial he had to be talked into the idea to submit his name to be honored.
After five years in the Air Force, Ron attended the State University of New York, graduating in 1958 with a teaching credential. He told Mo McElroy he was once again required to sign a document stating he was not a homosexual.
He was a teacher for 10 years, but left to open a chic clothing store in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Ron met his partner of 41 years in Puerto Rico and they moved to San Diego in 1973. In 1976, he opened a dinner house and bar in Point Loma that catered to gay clientele.
Ron also owned a silk screening business, studied to get his real estate license, and worked for various realtors and financial brokers in San Diego.
Koeshall said Ron was “always willing to usher” at church. He told McElroy he helped clean up and volunteer for doing a lot of routine tasks for 25 years at church.
He told McElroy he was still a bit closeted even in his 80s because “after all these years, it’s embedded” in you.
But he wanted people to know this: “You are who you are and God didn’t make a mistake. Be yourself. You’ll be surprised by how open people are to gays today.”
“To think about people having to grow up the way I grew up in a closet all these years, thank goodness that no longer applies. The more we become ourselves and do and feel and dress as we wish, that’s when we start feeling free,” he said to McElroy.
Ron is survived by his brother, sister, nephew, and his dog Sandy. He was a member of Friends of Older Gays and played croquet in Balboa Park.
“He will be greatly missed by one and all,” said Koeshall. “Ronnieboy loved God and knew God loved him.”
