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Ronald Aqua

January 23, 1947 ~ January 2, 2021

Posted 1/7/21

Ronald Aqua, age 73, passed away peacefully in his home in Austin, Texas on January 2, 2021 after a bout with colon cancer, during which he never lost his positive spirit and appreciation of a life …

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Ronald Aqua

January 23, 1947 ~ January 2, 2021

Posted

Ronald Aqua, age 73, passed away peacefully in his home in Austin, Texas on January 2, 2021 after a bout with colon cancer, during which he never lost his positive spirit and appreciation of a life well-lived.

Born in Philadelphia in 1947, he grew up in Monticello where his parents operated Aqua's Pharmacy on Broadway. After graduating valedictorian of the Monticello High School Class of 1965, Ron earned a BA in Political Science at Hamilton College in 1969 and a PhD in Government from Cornell University in 1979.

At Hamilton, he spent his junior year abroad in Sweden and upon graduation, joined the Peace Corps, teaching English in South Korea. There he married Maeja Yoon who became the love of his life and his devoted partner for 47 years.

He attained fluency in Korean, and Japanese as part of his PhD studies, including living in Tokyo. He moved to Brooklyn in 1979 and worked at the Social Science Research Council, and then at the US-Japan Foundation until 1996. Following two years at Mississippi State University, Ron and Maeja settled in Austin in 1998, where Ron finished his career as President of the Texas International Education Consortium (TIEC).

Ron considered himself both a New Yorker and a Texan and found personal pleasure bringing together different cultures, ideas, and people. Ron was kind, funny and smart, and he left a unique impression on everyone around him. His greatest joy was spending quality time with his family and his caring for Maeja as she developed dementia was an inspiration to behold.

Ron is preceded in death by his beloved wife Maeja Aqua, his sister Linda Aqua Strobel, and his father and mother, Jack Aqua and Helen Streifer. He is survived by his son Sam and wife Adriana Aqua and grandchildren Gabriella, Isabel and Timothy Aqua, and his son Ben and husband John Aqua. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made in Ron's honor to the Association for Frontotemporal Degeneration (www.theaftd.org).