Ron Kerr, 1959

Visitation: Wednesday, July 29, 2 to 4 p.m. and 7 to 9 p.m.
Neville Funeral Home, 491 Isabella Street, Pembroke
Funeral mass: Thursday, July 30, 11 a.m.
Most Holy Name of Jesus Parish, 284 Trafalgar Road, Pembroke
Donations: St. Francis Valley Healthcare Foundation

His story

Ronald John (Ron) Kerr, 67, of Killaloe, Ontario, died peacefully at The Ottawa Hospital on July 23, 2026.

By the time he was born on April 30, 1959, his first love was already in his life: Round Lake. It held him for 67 years and always pulled him back: the community, the sunsets promising a better horizon, a childhood spent in the forest and on the shorelines where his own three boys would later spend their summers and long weekends.

He was born in Smith Falls to Jack and Aline Kerr, who raised their four sons there before moving the family to Ottawa.

Ron followed in his father’s footsteps into the phone business, joining Bell as a young lineman and working his way up to management.

He met Annadeane in 1981, a young nurse from Nova Scotia with plans to return to Cape Breton, and proposed three months later before she could follow through. They married in 1982. They had three sons, each three years apart, who share Ron’s love of music and his good head of hair.

Music was the background of his life. Valley Heritage Radio was a constant in the house, and many an evening was spent tapping his fingers while one of his sons played acoustic guitar, or joining in, wailing on the harmonica. He called his harmonicas his chocolate bars. He deeply admired Annadeane’s skill on the bagpipes and always asked her to play, whether on many trips to Cape Breton or on the rocky point of their Round Lake shoreline with the sun setting at her back.

Working at Bell, Ron travelled the world; when he retired in 2015, the world he chose was Round Lake. Most people have a dream of where they want to land. Ron made his happen: a forever home where every window points to water. And it kept going: one house, then another, a garage, a boathouse, and a shed that looked like the house. Ron was a doer who loved having a project. His good friends helped build the two homes he lived in at the lake, and Ron was there every day of construction, helping with every job he could. There isn’t a door in his home he didn’t personally stain, or a corner without his handiwork.

He loved being part of the small community, in particular, the Killaloe Curling Club, where many warm friendships and memories were made. He also looked forward to joining his friends each fall for their annual deer hunting trip at Round Lake, followed by wild game night at the Mask hunt camp.

He loved books, the news, crime television shows, and a good visit. He was generous, a quality his grandsons learned quickly. For Rowan, he was an endless source of Cheerios, goldfish crackers, and “Octopus’s Garden” renditions. Jett brought him endless love and a dimpled, beautiful smile.

His humour was infectious and his jokes were endless; he knew how to have a good time and how to make everyone feel welcome. He had a hearty laugh and a devilish smile, and he delighted in stories, especially ones with a witty punchline. He was known to don a costume (Austin Powers once, an unconvincing priest another time), and his everyday uniform ran to John Prine and Guy Clark T-shirts. He could talk his way into most rooms, and did. He kept that sharp wit to the end, his eyes lighting up whenever his sons got a joke going at his hospital bedside.

Ron is survived by his wife of 44 years, Annadeane; his children Allan (Samantha), Andrew (Stacie), and John (Kate); his grandsons Rowan and Jett, who called him Grandpa; his siblings Dennis, Terry (Lorraine), and Jerry (Rhonda); his brothers-in-law Starr (Agnes) and Shawn (Brenda) MacMullin; his nieces and nephews Marc MacMullin (Dale), Jaye MacMullin, Matt MacMullin (Kerrianne), Ryan Kerr (Kelly), Mike Kerr, Shannon Kerr (Rob), Jillian Kerr (Devon), Holly Kerr (Ted); and Stella, the family cat. He was predeceased by his parents, Jack and Aline Kerr (née Godin), and his brother-in-law Cyril “C.J.” MacMullin (Arlene).