Ronald Lamar Shelburne, Sr., beloved husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, and community servant leader, died on Sunday, June 21, at age 91. The only child of Margaret Fludd, Ronald was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts, on March 18, 1935, and he spent most of his life living in Cambridge and Roxbury, touching the lives of everyone he met with his humor, intellect, and spirit. Ronald attended schools in Cambridge and Malden, and he met his wife and the love of his life Mildred (Clarke) Shelburne on Revere Beach. Ronald and Milly lived the entirety of their married lives and raised their family together in Roxbury.

Ronald was a lifelong learner who highly valued education for himself and his family, especially his children. Ron himself attended night school to attain his high school diploma (rather than simply getting a G.E.D.), and after graduating from Boston Central Adult High School, he attended Roxbury Community College and earned an Associate's degree from Bunker Hill Community College. Ron also supported his wife Milly's pursuit of college and graduate degrees in her midlife and was an ardent supporter of education for his children.  Because of Ron's & Milly's commitment to education, his three children knew from childhood that they were "going to college" long before they knew what college was! All his children fulfilled the educational dreams of their parents in the most distinguished way by not only graduating from college but also earning graduate degrees. A living legacy of Ron Sr. and Milly's commitment and high regard for education is that each of their three children began their professional careers as classroom teachers, continuing their parents' love of learning to the benefit of countless students. Ron was a true lifelong learner: he was an avid reader and conversationalist, loved to spend hours in libraries, bookstores, and at cultural events, and shared that love of learning with his children and was always eager to discuss the events of the day.

Ronald was a hardworking man, embodying the Protestant work ethic throughout his life and modeling the value of honest work for honest pay to his children and community. It was rare if he ever took a vacation or sick day. Over his lifetime, he worked in building maintenance, drove a bus for Camp Unity and Bridge Upward Bound, and worked for the US Postal Service, News Channel 5 Boston, and Bridge Fund INC. He worked for many years for the Boston Public Library, Dudley Branch, and in 2007 was honored for his contributions to improving the lives of the entire community there.

Ronald was deeply engaged with and invested in his faith and his community. A longtime member of Charles Street AME Church, Ronald founded the Church's video ministry, turning his love of photography and video to help church members attend services from home. He was honored with a Bridge Builders award in 2011 to honor his contributions to Charles Street AME and will be remembered by many there for his impact on their lives. He also attended St. Paul's AME in Cambridge and was a member of three men's Bible study groups. In young adulthood, Ronald was actively engaged in the fight for civil rights: he attended the March in Washington, attended community meetings including taking his children, and played a role not through talk but through action. An active community volunteer, Ron volunteered at the Boston Public Library, Dudley Branch; served as President of the Friends of the Boston Public Library; and taught photography and led youth basketball at the Cambridge Recreation Center. Later in life, he was a part of men's groups and cancer support groups at Boston Medical Center. Ronald shared his active mind and love of humanity with all he met.

Ronald was adventurous. He took his children to libraries and bookstores, to free nights at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, playgrounds in and around Greater Boston, beach outings, long Sunday drives, with a picnic lunch on a beach somewhere, seeing what's outside of Roxbury, venturing into the ocean in the dead of winter, with a wool blanket in the back of the station wagon to wrap us in. He was a passionate follower of Chinese history and culture. He imparted to his children and grandchildren an expansive view of the world and a confidence to engage with it.

Ronald was a resourceful handyman, technologist, history buff, avid reader, and amateur photographer and filmmaker, a man of many and diverse talents and interests who could fix anything. A tinkerer, he was known for repairing everything from his automobiles to household items. He was very frugal, watchful of the thermostat, with "DIY" a guiding motto for life. And he was creative, ready to engage with the forefront of technology. In high school, he was one of the first members of Medford High School's new Projector Club to manage the film projectors. As a young father, he would take countless family photographs and home movies and would take out his camera to document unfolding events. And later in life he completed computer classes and loved texting and Face Timing with his grandchildren.

Ronald leaves his wife of 65 years, Mildred; his daughters Cathy and Pat and son Ronald Jr.; his sister-in-law Ruthann; his daughter in-law Olive and son in-law Mark; his five grandchildren Antonia (Stanislav), Emily, Nadia, Alyssa, and Laila; his two great-grandchildren Konstantin and Anastasia; his niece Christina and nephew Alan (Shannan); his grandniece Taryn and grandnephew Tyrique; grandniece Sophia and grandnephew Robert, and an abundance of family, friends, neighbors, and acquaintances, all of whom he was blessed to know.

Ronald and Milly were featured in a 2018 cover story in Boston Seniority profile, highlighting Ron's identity as a family man. "My favorite thing about my wife is she's smarter than me!" said Roxbury resident Ron. Milly said, "He always says that, but he's very smart too. My favorite thing is he's a very caring dad. He always puts his kids first. I grew up without a father, so him being a loving dad is very special to me."

In lieu of flowers, donations in memory of Ronald L. Shelburne, Sr. may be made to the Friends of the Roxbury Branch Library.