Ronald Patrick "Jack" Read, Jr.
September 25, 1990 ~ July 30, 2022
With heavy hearts, we are sharing that Ronald Patrick Read Jr. Esq, a loving son, brother, and uncle. has unexpectedly passed away. He was 31 years of age.
Born on September 25th, 1990, Ron was originally from Weirton, WV. and was currently residing in Pittsburgh, PA.
Growing up in Weirton, he attended Weir High School, where he was a Cross Country Champion and always enjoyed running.
After high school. he graduated Summa Cum laude from WVU in Political Science, where he was a member of the Phi Beta Kappa Honor Society. Ron then continued his education graduating with a law degree from the University of Pittsburgh.
Presently, he was an attorney in Pittsburgh, PA, and well-known social activist.
He was recently featured on the local news for winning his case for his clients that were in support of the environment. Ron was always fighting for the underdog and planned on being a defense attorney.
He also enjoyed spending time volunteering at The Big Idea Bookstore. He met many of his friend there and went by the nickname, “Jack”.
He had a book published early in age titled Delete Me; An Argument Against Facebook and was about to publish a book titled None of the Above. He had a lifelong passion for reading and writing books. Ronnie always had an amazing joy for learning. Self-taught guitar player, C++ programming, Russian, and Religion to name a few.
He also excelled in many different forms of martial arts and loved boxing.
Most of all he will be remembered for being very intelligent, hardworking, kind, humble, and a selfless man. He was always willing to help a friend or a great cause.
Ronnie nourished his faith at St. Joseph the Worker Roman Catholic Church in Weirton.
He had a bright future ahead and would have continued to do so much good for this world. Ronnie was healthy and full of life but currently was battling Covid-19. An autopsy will try to answer questions.
We find comfort knowing he is with his dad, Ron, in Heaven. Both taken from us way too soon. Please send prayers for our family while we manage through this devastating time.
In addition to both sets of grandparents, Ronnie was preceded in death by his father, Ronald P. Read in February of 2005.
He will be remembered with love by his mother, Pamela Bailey Read; his sisters, Kelly Read Plubell (Paul) and Shaunna Read; many aunts, uncles, cousins and nieces and nephews including his niece and nephew, Joni, and Colby Plubell.
Visitation will be Thursday from 3 PM until 7 PM at the Greco Hertnick Funeral Home, 3219 Main Street Weirton, WV. With respect of Covid-19, masks and an awareness of social distancing is encouraged. Masks will be provided.
A Liturgy of the Word Service will be held privately with his family on Friday.
Ronnie will be laid to rest next to his father at Saint Paul’s Cemetery in Weirton, WV.
Please share stories of Ronnie “Jack” at www.grecohertnick.com.
Memorial contributions in his memory may be made to the charity of your choice.
--
We are deeply sorry for your loss ~ Greco Hertnick Funeral Home
Ronnie will remain in our hearts forever. Our deepest sympathies for the Read family. Love, John, Brooke, Baylee and Cayden Davidson
A kind and giving human being who helped everyone in your short but meaningful life. May you Rest In Peace. Lourdes Jhunjhnuwala
Our deepest condolences 😢🙏🏻
Jack will be missed. He was a gentle soul, so filled with love for all people. I will personally miss him greatly and am still in shock. May he enjoy the peace and rest of heaven. His friend and coworker for justice, Rev. Paul Dordal
So sorry to The family. I loved having Ron as a student. Many prayers coming your way. What a great young man. Such a loss.
How very sad, so deeply sorry for your loss, many prayers….🙏🏻🕊🕯💕
So so sad
So sorry🙏
My sympathy to his family. May home Rest In Peace ✝️
Prayers for his family. 🙏🙏🙏
May he rest in the Light of Our Lord.
So sorry for your loss. 🙏🙏🙏
Prayers to his family and friends for this sad time. RIP
Pam, Shaunna and Family, I am so sorry to hear of the passing of your son and brother. My thoughts and prayers are with you all. In Sympathy, Jenny Anderson
Prayers going up for his family and friends
🤍🙏
What tragic and unexpected news. I will remember Ron as a classmate who I was fond of, for his kind heart and composed demeanor. We graduated from high school together, and now that we are in our 30’s, I realize that people like Ron are rare and should always be treasured. Ron was gentle, intelligent and had a keen, sharp sense of humor. He appreciated witty jokes, not mean-spirited jabs. From a distance, I saw how Ron would staunchly defend his beliefs and ideals, even as as young adult in the classroom. I respect and side with his progressive mindset, something that should be applauded and appreciated when growing up in a small town. I quite enjoyed reading what Ron went on to do after earning his law degree — and have no doubt he would have accomplished much more. I had no idea just how talented he was; his curious mind and ability to teach himself many skills is something to strive for. I know he will be missed by those who know and love him the most. I’ll be thinking of Ron and his family during this time. – Pasquale Gaudio
Dedicated in the memory of Ronald Read, Jr. , a defender of the underdog and someone with the strength to do the right thing.
So sorry prayers for his family and Friends!
So sorry 🙏💙
Our hearts go out to Ron’s (Jack’s) family, friends, and colleagues on his sudden departure from us. We have treasured memories of Ron when we first met him as an intern for the Anti-War Committee of Pittsburgh. He soon took leadership and kept us moving forward and forging important partnerships that endure in the PNC: Stop Banking the Bomb Campaign. He generously and committedly gave tons of time to research, organize and protest for peace and social justice, not only in anti-war efforts but for climate crises issues. Ron did all of this in a very humble way and respectful of those with whom he worked for desperately needed changes. He will always stand out in our lives as a wonderful human being, exemplary of his generation, with whom we were privileged to meet and stand! Joyce Rothermel and Michael Drohan, Pittsburgh, PA
Jack touched many lives in his adopted home of Pittsburgh and, more recently, across the entire state. Jack was a kind soul, thoughtful, fearless, and bold. He touched many, many lives in his too short life. Much of the work he started will be carried on but Jack cannot be replaced.
I’m so very sorry for your loss, Prayers for Strength, Comfort,and Peace at this very difficult time 🙏🙏🙏🕊️🕊️🕊️
Oh so very sad prayers and sympathies to all
So sorry and saddened by his loss. ♥️Prayers for his family.
Today & always, may loving memories bring you peace, comfort & strength. You all are in our thoughts & prayers.
So sorry for your loss 🙏
Ron was an amazing friend, a gentle soul & I loved him deeply. I’m sorry this happened, he will live on in all our hearts.
So suddenly and sad. May Jack rest in eternal peace.
I first met Jack on April 27th this year, but it wasn’t until the trip to Harrisburg when we really got close. Towards the end of the trip, I was planning to catch the bus and go back home to Pitt before all of the other Greens, and he was with me that whole time. We had our luggage in a friend’s car and we were going around the complex helical structure of the parking garage. I swear, this garage was built to be confusing. During that hour and a half, we shared many stories from our lives, and I learned about his struggle with his physical disability and how it happened. It just astonished me how strong of a man he was, how he kept on pushing past his struggles after the accident. I felt so bad that I had him walking for so long up and down so many flights of stairs because of my sheer ineptitude of being able to find the darn car, but it is an experience I would never take back. To be honest, it hasn’t even sunken in yet that he is no longer with his, but it something I know I’ll have to accept. I can say that he has touched many lives and has universally decreased the suffering in this world with his presence.
Another soul gone way to soon from the class of 2009! Ron you will be missed! ☹️ I’m so sorry to Pam Read and Shaunna Read
So sorry for you loss
So very sad. Condolences to his family.
Prayers
So sorry
So very sorry for your loss
Jack was a giant in the Pittsburgh organizing scene. That’s how I met him, and it’s how I’ll remember him. He was a paragon of reliability; whenever you attempted to organize your own little rally or meeting, you could always bet on his showing up to lend support. And whenever something momentous had occurred in town, nine times out of ten he played integral part. But his success in this realm was more than a matter of political and social acuity. It went to the core of who he was. He had a deeply cultivated concern for the flourishing of ordinary people. This concern inspired not only the tirelessness of his pursuits, but also the warmth and humor with which he approached all of his relationships. He was a role model for me, and I count myself lucky to have been his friend. – Larry
My heart goes to Jack’s family and friends in this time of loss. I knew Jack first as Ron Read, a quiet, determined, principled, and brave young man. And he remained that, a dedicated worker for peace and justice. If only a sharing of sorrow could lift your load, it would be made lighter by all of us who recall Ron/Jack with admiration and gratitude.
With love and hugs, Kat & Tobe Watters
Jack was my neighbor in Wilkinsburg, PA. While we didn’t know each other very well, we would often exchange greetings and shared use of a slightly finicky weedwacker for a while. He was a kind person and continued to be a friend and support for his former housemate after he moved. I will missing seeing him around and our brief chats about small things. -Joey Behrens Wilkinsburg, PA.
My warmest condolences to Ron’s family. We graduated from high school together and I will always remember Ron as a kind and intelligent individual.
I had the honor of living with Ron for 3 years and having a friendship that lasted to the end. Ron was a hilarious individual, intelligent, hardworking, dedicated and someone I could always count on. Losing him won’t be easy. He constantly beat the odds, he always persevered in life against any struggle it threw at him. I had nothing for respect for Ron. I have many fond memories of Ron, most of which us joking around with each other. Sometimes when we’d get bored we’d sit around and write parody songs like we were Weird Al Yancovich. I vividly remember writing down a full track list of parody songs while he and I came to tears laughing over our lyrics. We never pursued that endeavor any further but moments like that were plenty with Ron around. My last conversation with Ron a couple weeks ago was jokes back and forth. The last message he sent me had me laughing. Which is a fitting representation of our friendship. We had each other’s backs, we always helped each other, but most of all we laughed together. No matter how hard life was to either of us. Through both our struggles we could make fun of each other and laugh about it. Im hurt deeply by the fact I will never have that type of friendship in my life again. However, I am honored that I had the chance and happy to have those memories. May he Rest In Peace. God bless. My thoughts and prayers are with his family.
To the family: I’m so sorry for your loss. Jack was an amazing person, a joy to know and work with. I first met him at TMC. He was a great friend, truly passionate about his work, unafraid to fight for what was right. I’m so grateful to have learned from him, he will be absolutely missed. This morning I planted flower seeds in celebration of his life and picked flowers in remembrance of him. To Jack: love you buddy, miss you 💓
Pam and family. There are no words to comfort your broken hearts. Ronnie had a kind soul and we thought alot of him. Our heartfelt condolences to you all. Our hearts are with you.
I first met Jack at a volunteer group meeting. I knew him as an activist who wanted to see justice and fairness for all people, and was willing to put work into being a good human. I am so sorry for his family’s loss. He was a working class hero, so this is a loss for so many more of us. -Lady
I met Ron several years ago when he was chairing the Anti-War Committee of the Thomas Merton in Pittsburgh. Ron was passionate about re-energizing the peace movement and I joined in marches and rallies that Ron organized. I was, and still am, an environmental activist with the Sierra Club Allegheny Group in Pittsburgh and Ron was committed to struggling against the the environmental degradation that threatens our planet. Despite his preference for direct action and his skepticism about working within institutions and organizations, I persuaded Ron to join our executive committee for a year, where he served as co-chair. It was a privilege knowing Ron and working with him. Ron was a bright, idealistic, energetic hard-working young man. I cannot adequately express my sense of loss at his untimely passing. Ron’s life was brief, but well-spent. He “fought the good fight”all the way. Peace.
He would bring together progressive people regardless of their political stripes, gender, race or general background to promote fitness and self defense through boxing and grappling. He did well in creating community. I always knew when I saw him in the crowd that someone who’d be an advocate and fighter for the people was there.
Like many, I met Ron when he was a volunteer at the Merton Center, probably ten years ago. Since then, I’ve seen him lead seminars in a most learned and modest manner, join in marches, join in rallies…always present in the struggle for peace and justice, quiet and unassuming, but a star, a really shining star. May his light remain with us. Bette McDevittp
In fond memory of my classmate, friend, & comrade: may this tree grow in memory of your wit & hope held for a brighter day. Be at peace, my friend.
Jack, I will always value our friendship. You’ve left us too soon, pal. Look at these memories you’ve left behind to so many through the years; where can I even start on sharing a memory? I’ll try from the beginning — I remember meeting you in 2015 — we were always looking to push Pitt in better directions, no? An uphill battle most of the time, but you were always ready to get creative and organize to get to work where it was needed. Your adopted city was made better by your dedication to fighting for people needing a shield, and by empowering them to use their sword. Your voice lives on through the work you’ve done, and your memory is imprinted in all the places you’ve worked and brought your wit and dedication. You taught me so much about organizing, and I’ll be forever grateful for that. To your family: there are no words to express the depths of sorrow in losing such a bright light. May you find comfort in your memories, and in knowing that your son and brother was a steadfast advocate, lawyer, educator, and friend. May you find peace in faith and healing, and knowing that he’s forever with you and all of us. God bless you all.
So sad,prayers for the family.
What a nice picture! I see Marcia Lehman and Nancy O’Leary from our Beaver County Peace Links Group.
What an incredibly sweet, intelligent, dedicated person. His thirst for making this world a better place was evident in everything he did, and he was an inspiration to everyone he crossed paths with. I first met Ron at Quaker meeting in Pittsburgh, but it wasn’t long before I ran into him at a Pitt graduate student organizing committee meeting, and then again and again at numerous social justice gatherings. Wherever there was work to be done or a fight to be waged, Ron was there. It makes me so sad to think I’ll never bump into him again. I can only imagine the pain that his family must be feeling losing such a light. May his memory be a blessing, and inspire us all to pick up where he left off. Rest easy, Ron.
Dear Ron’s family, I was extremely saddened and shocked to hear of Ron’s passing. I volunteered with Ron at the Thomas Merton Center for a couple years with their anti-war initiative. I considered him a good friend, and beyond that an amazing person. He was one of the most patient and kind people I have ever met, and really walked the walk of a man of peace. I hope that you are very, very proud of the person he was and there’s no doubt in my mind that if there is a heaven, he is in it. Although his life was tragically short, it was full of good works and well lived – a true success. I hope the fact that Ron was so loved and will be so missed brings you comfort at this sad time. – “Unable are the loved to die. For love is immortality.” – Emily Dickinson
I was Ron Read’s Professor at the University of Pittsburgh Law School. He worked with me closely on a First Amendment paper he wrote and had me for several classes. He was a wonderful student, deeply committed to justice and to fighting against oppression and for marginalized people’s rights. He was one of those special students who really wanted to use his law degree to make a difference and make the world a better place. Jules Lobel
I am Kelly, his oldest sister. Ron/Jack (Ronnie to me) was extremely modest. Tears of sadness and joy fill my heart hearing these stories. Learning more about him is precious. Sincere thanks to all of you who took their time to share how they personally knew him and cared for him. The last thing my brother and I discussed was my daughter’s school Color Run. I showed him a picture of her training at the track a few weeks before the race. She ran her first mile. I want her to be disciplined like him, work hard to accomplish goals. I told Ronnie that she is a natural runner like him. I know he was smiling over us this past Saturday. He is a bold Guardian Angel sending us many signs. The rainbow cloud, after our race, was amazing! He will continue to shine through in his family, friends, and good works!
I have been so touched and honored to read all the loving tributes to my son Ronnie (Jack) Read. I am so proud of the person he became. .He spent many hours working with others in pursuit of worthwhile goals for community and cultural change. Ronnie was always a self motivated individual who loved to read and learn. He could talk to anyone from all different walks of life and be able to converse at length. Besides that he loved being physically active in sports and after his accident in high school when he fractured two vertebrae in his neck he fought to regain his abilities. Ronnie never complained to me about his right side being weaker but always made the best of things. If you were his friend he really valued you and he had a wonderful sense of humor. I loved him with all my heart and soul and held respect for him always. We will surely be missing him everyday of our lives. There was no one like him. Ronnie I hope that you have your peace and communion with God And Jesus as well as all the angels in heaven. Say hello to all the family and friends there like your Dad who you loved dearly. Till I am with you again son hugs and love forever! Mom