Donald J. Ronca

The Lehigh Valley is mourning the passing of the contractor Donald J. Ronca, 78, of Bethlehem, who died on Friday, February 21, 2014. He was born and raised in Fountain Hill, son of the late Phillip and Anna Ronca. He was a member of St. Ursula Catholic Church.

Don Ronca was an unusually hard worker, a contractor and developer for his entire life, beginning as a boy working with his father and brothers. His jobs touched much of the Lehigh Valley and surrounding areas as his many talents extended from large commercial building projects, to flood restorations to minor house renovations. His signature work can be seen in the many homes in Fountain Hill where he grew up, or all around Bethlehem, where he was recently recognized for his re-development of the now Abbe Hall Personal Care Home. Many in Bethlehem also know “Donnie” as the former owner of the Tally-Ho Tavern, as well as other buildings in south Bethlehem which he had renovated to support improvements to the area. For similar work in Allentown, he received the Mayors Award for Housing Rehabilitation & Community Revitalization.

Don Ronca was a talented architect and artist. He loved to cook, entertain and tell stories of his life with family and friends. He lived life to the fullest, always with a positive attitude looking for the best in people, and many of those people responding with similar fondness. He will be missed dearly by all that knew him, remembered most often for his unbounded generosity.

He will be lovingly remembered by his wife, Maryanne (Bilsak) Ronca; daughters, Joan Marie Ronca, Maryanne, wife of David Groner, Donna Jo, wife of Harrison Shelton, Suzanne Ronca, Dorothy, wife of John Talago and Kathryn, wife of Giovanni Landi; sisters, Mary Anne Werpehowski, Lucille Seidenberger, Delores Ottesen and Anne Marie Cunningham; grandchildren, Katie, Zach, Anna, Kristina, Lia, Luke, Emma, Ava, Gabriela and Gianna; great grandson, Nicholas; and companion, Donna Engel. He was predeceased by his brothers, Martin and Alfred; and sisters, Helen Roeder and Dorothy Ronca.

Viewing hours will be held in the Connell Funeral Home, 245 E. Broad St., Bethlehem, on Monday, Feb. 24 from 6 to 8 p.m. and on Tuesday from 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. A 10 a.m. Mass of Christian will follow at St. Ursula Catholic Church, 1300 Broadway, Fountain Hill. Burial will be at Holy Saviour Cemetery, Bethlehem.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Wounded Warrior Project, P.O. Box 758517, Topeka, Kansas 66675 (www.woundedwarriorproject.org) or to the American Heart Association, 7272 Greenville Ave., Dallas, TX 75231 (www.heart.org) .

Cemetery
Holy Saviour Cemetery
2575 Linden St.
Bethlehem PA 18017
US

Visitation
Monday, February 24, 2014
6:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Connell Funeral Home, Inc.
245 East Broad St.
Bethlehem PA 18018
US
610-868-8531

Visitation
Tuesday, February 25, 2014
8:30 AM - 9:30 AM
Connell Funeral Home, Inc.
245 East Broad St.
Bethlehem PA 18018
US
610-868-8531

Mass of Christian Burial
Tuesday, February 25, 2014
10:00 AM
St. Ursula's Catholic Church
1300 Broadway
Fountain Hill PA
US

Funeral HomeConnell Funeral Home, Inc.
245 East Broad St.
Bethlehem PA - 18018
US
610-868-8531