Ronald Guy
Ronald J. Guy, aged 80, passed away peacefully on May 8, 2025, at Capital Health Regional Medical Center in Hopewell, NJ after a long battle against a complex neurological disease. Born in Rahway, NJ, he was raised in Linden, NJ and subsequently became a longtime resident of Cranford, NJ and Chesterfield, NJ, later establishing an additional residence in Dataw Island, near Beaufort, SC.
Friends and relatives are invited to visit on Thursday, June 12, from 4pm to 6pm at Dooley Funeral Home, 218 North Ave. West, Cranford, NJ, 07016. A prayer service with military honors will be held on Friday, June 13, from 10am-12pm, also at Dooley Funeral Home. Interment will follow at Fairview Cemetery in Westfield, NJ.
Ron graduated from Linden High School (NJ) in 1962, spent a year attending aeronautical school, then earned a Bachelor of Science in Economics and an additional MBA in Finance from Wagner College (NY). In 1967, he joined the US Air Force, where he served for four years of active duty, including a deployment at Nakhon Phanom AFB in Thailand during the Vietnam War, where his primary mission was to support special search-and-rescue operations for downed pilots along the Ho Chi Minh Trail in Vietnam.
After his honorable discharge from the US Air Force, Ron began a distinguished career in hospital financial management in New Jersey, with increasing responsibilities at St. Michael’s Medical Center in Newark, Mountainside Hospital in Montclair, CentraState Healthcare System in Freehold, and Capital Health in Trenton, rising to the level of Chief Financial Officer at both CentraState and Capital Health. He retired in 2012, after playing a major role in the successful construction and grand opening of Capital Health Regional Medical Center in Hopewell in 2011.
Ron was equally adventurous, intelligent, sarcastic and mischievous, and he always maintained an almost childlike enthusiasm for his many varied hobbies and interests. An avid golfer and fisherman, Ron was a long-time member of Old York Country Club in Chesterfield, NJ, and years earlier was a member of Raritan Bay Yacht Club in Perth Amboy, NJ. After retirement, he built an additional home in Dataw Island, SC, where he was a member of the Dataw Island Golf Club and an active boater.
Ron had a profound appreciation for all things Americana, including anything having to do with patriotism and the American flag. His annual Independence Day parties were the stuff of legend, always accompanied by an obnoxiously large fireworks display. Ron would often be seen riding his Harley-Davidson motorcycle through the back roads of New Jersey, listening to classic rock tunes from his favorite artists like Bob Seger. He was the happiest whenever eating giant steamed seafood pots, devouring Maryland blue claw crabs, and enjoying fine cigars, bourbon, and beer over a good fire. He traveled all over the globe on many vacations with his family and looked forward to frequent golf trips to top resorts with his son Darren and his good friends. Ron also cherished fishing trips to Key West for tarpon and Costa Rica for sail fishing. One of his favorite traditions was watching and attending New England Patriots games with Darren during the winter months, including multiple trips to playoff games in Foxboro, MA and four Super Bowls.
Ron had a unique but appropriate surname, as he was often referred to by those who knew him as a great “Guy”. He was a tireless worker who often struggled to sit still, but he could usually fix anything that was broken in or around his house or in his neighborhood. He cared deeply about guiding and mentoring others, with a reputation for providing practical advice and solutions, which endeared himself to his family, friends, and colleagues. Ron was a dedicated family man with a strong moral compass, although he often created his own rules along the way. He was typically quiet, never boastful about his numerous successes and achievements in life, carrying a reputation for treating everyone he met the same. His unique personality, along with his peculiar sayings and admitted short temper, earned him countless endearing nicknames and funny anecdotes and stories that will be remembered for decades.
Pre-deceased include his father, George Guy, mother Helen Guy (Martin), brother George Guy and sister Marcia Guy Orenstein.
Surviving is his beloved spouse of 57 years Jacqueline Guy, son Darren Guy, his spouse and daughter-in-law Leeanne Guy, grandson Jack Hogan, sister Marilyn Dill and various nieces and nephews.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in his memory to Tunnels for Towers (T2T) or Disabled American Veterans (DAV).
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