Obituary of Ronald James Raposa

Ronald James Raposa, loving husband, father, brother, uncle, and grandfather passed away on May 27th, 2023. He had a tough battle with Acute Myeloid Leukemia but fought hard until the very end.  At 80 years old he continued to exercise and take long walks around the neighborhood even while battling this tough disease.

Ron was born on October 2nd, 1942 in Taunton,  Massachusetts to the late Mary Raposa and James Raposa. He was the eldest of four and a true first-born leader.  He loved all sports but at a young age was drawn toward golf. He started caddying at 13 years old so he could play golf for free and eventually become a scratch golfer. He graduated from Taunton High School and shortly after entered the service.

He attended basic training at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas and the administrative school at Amarillo Air Force Base. Ron was flight commander of his class of ’73 at Amarillo and enlisted in the air force as an aviation cadet.

He later earned his Bachelor Degree of Science in Business Administration from Suffolk University. Ron started his career in sales at Top Value Enterprises, a Fortune 500 incentive company, working his way through their sales program to the top of the company while visiting all 50 states. He was able to build solid relationships with anyone he met. Ron loved doing business anywhere but especially over a round of golf.

Through commitment, passion and hard work, Ron would eventually become President of an incentive company where he grew sales exceeding $70 million. He would often travel to Mexico and internationally to create incentive programs with high-profile clients. He was the consummate sales professional and mentored so many along the way in their own careers.

In his passing a friend recently said that if there’s a heaven Ron would have a front row seat and he is the definition of a true friend. He never knew a stranger and was always willing to help someone in need.

He also loved to travel to Sedona and Carlsbad as well as spend time with his sister in Maine. His family will continue to take their yearly trip to Carlsbad in his honor.

Ron is survived by his wife of 40 years Debby, his three siblings (Joan, Bob and Carol) his daughters (Terri, Kimberly, Melissa and Ashley) and 9 grandchildren (Matthew, Jacob, Tyler, Zachary, Nicholas, Emily, Everett, Ellory and Emerson).

“Here he lies where he longed to be – Lies in death by the nineteenth tee…”

In lieu of flowers please send a donation to Hospice of the Valley www.hov.org or donate to Leukemia & Lymphoma Society  www.lls.org in honor of Ronald J. Raposa.