Ronald S. Pine ... enjoyed telling bad jokes; at 77

Born on Dec. 19, 1944, in Everett, Mass., he was the son of the late Saul and Lottie (Braverman) Pine. Ron lived on Fourth Street in Chelsea, Mass., and attended Williams School, as well as other schools in Brighton, Mass., and Cambridge, Mass. In 1959, he moved to Strafford to attend boarding school at Austin Cate Academy. He graduated high school in 1964.

After high school, Ron took some college courses at McIntosh College in Dover. He worked various retail jobs, including Rich's Department Stores, Hardware and More, and Western Auto in Dover. He was a hard worker that always tried to provide a good life for his family.

Ron met the love of his life, Anne, while at La Cantina, a dance club in Dover. The two married on July 4, 1970. They enjoyed spending time doing the simple things in life, like listening to music, going to the beach or to the mountains, and sharing a good meal. They had two sons, Rick and Dave. As the boys were growing up, Ron and Anne attended their sporting events and were their biggest fans.

Ron had a special knack for telling bad jokes. When he took his boys skiing, he would always call his wife, Anne, at the end of the day to tell her that he broke his leg. It was a running joke in the family until he actually broke it. Then, he did not think it was so funny. Ron would often repeat jokes that he heard on late-night television and pass them off as his own. He did not always nail the punchline, but his family got the gist and laughed anyway. Only later, would he admit that he heard the joke on TV. His self-deprecating humor was another one of his trademarks. Ron loved the Beatles and Led Zeppelin; he was great at singing off-tune in the car. He passed that trait off to his children. Ron also enjoyed talking to his family about current events and his favorite books, TV shows, and movies.

Members of his family include his brother, Malcolm Merenda, of Albuquerque, N.M., his sister, Madelyn Pine, of Massachusetts, two sons, Richard and wife Ericka Pine of Strafford, and David and wife Jessica Pine, of Eliot, Maine; two grandchildren, Zackary Pine of Los Angeles, and Kelsey Pine of Strafford; a great-granddaughter, Madison Currier, of Strafford. He was predeceased by his wife, Anne.