Ron Patch passed away peacefully at home with his family by his side in Reno, Nevada on November 12, 2021, after a courageous 28-month battle with esophageal cancer. He was born to Rosalind “Robin” Anderson and Richard “Mel” Patch in Portland, Oregon where he lived with his younger brother, Rick Patch. Ron attended Lincoln High School where he and Lori became high school sweethearts after she asked him to the senior prom. After graduating in 1988, Ron and Lori attended Southern Oregon State College for a few years before both graduating from Portland State University in 1994. Ron and Lori spent many weekends windsurfing in the Columbia River Gorge and eventually were married in Mosier, Oregon in 1996. They spent their early married years living and working in Bend, Oregon enjoying the Cascade mountains as well as floating and fly fishing the rivers of Oregon and Montana, especially the Deschutes and the Madison. In 2005, Ron and Lori’s daughter Sophia Madison Patch was born, and in 2012, the family moved to Reno, Nevada where they have built an incredible network of friends and colleagues. Ron joined First Interstate Bank of Oregon in Portland after college. He received great training and experience there before moving to Bend, Oregon where he continued to serve his private banking clients in between casts for trout. That only lasted so long before he joined Orcom Solutions where his office overlooked the banks of the Deschutes River. It was there that Ron developed his knowledge of utility billing systems and project management serving customers around the country until leaving to join Truckee Meadows Water Authority (TMWA) in Reno in 2012. He was able to put all that experience to work helping them install and manage their billing system, a transformational project. He worked almost to the end as a trusted resource and valued team member there. Ron felt most at home working at TMWA and he was loved by many of the people he worked with there. He always referred to it as his dream job. Ron was one of those people that found lifelong friends wherever he lived, worked or volunteered. He was always looking for ways to please others. Somewhere along the line, he became an avid hunter and fly fisherman. Hunting gave him a great excuse to own three Labrador retrievers; Bailey, Maggie and Ruby. The latter of the labs being a true house dog and not a major hunter. He truly enjoyed every minute of training, working and just relaxing with his dogs. It also gave him a great excuse to build lasting relationships with his sporting buddies. Telling their stories, which may be greatly exaggerated, continues to solidify their bonds. Ron enjoyed the entire process. If it was fishing, he wanted to read the books, build the rods and tie the flies. If it was floating a river, Ron wanted to maintain a wooden drift boat. If it was hunting, he wanted to reserve the duck blinds, meet his buddies in the middle of the night and slog through the mud to shoot holes in the sky. The dogs rolled their eyes at all the missed shots, yet somehow an occasional duck made it to the dinner table. While in Bend, they discovered Cyclocross, and it became a passion for both Ron and Lori. That developed even further in Reno, where he served as the president of the Reno Wheelmen and on the board for several years. He often volunteered to support the Reno cycling community, helped to organize the 2018 Cyclocross National Championships, and raced religiously in events in Reno and Sacramento. It was also where the family tried new sports such as biathlon and met many lifelong friends who like to ski fast and shoot straight. In his first year of biathlon, Ron claimed 3rd place at the national summer biathlon championships in 2013, but to keep him grounded, Lori and Sophia would remind him of the time he had to ski 19 of 20 penalty laps. His greatest pride was his daughter Sophia. The force was strong with them. They enjoyed being nerdy together watching all things Star Wars and Marvel, and of course, maximizing every second of their many trips to Disneyland. Pirates of the Caribbean was a particular favorite. Ron learned a lot of lessons along the way, but he never learned how to turn a long story into a short one. He will always be remembered for that. Unfortunately, his own story was far too short. Ron is survived by his wife Lori, daughter Sophia, mother Robin, brother Rick and stepmother Carol. His father Mel passed away in 2019. Ron is loved by his extended family of Sotherns, Godseys, Hendersons and Agnews and so many friends from all walks of life. Reno has become a wonderful and supportive home for the entire Patch family. If you would like to honor Ron for a life well lived, please consider donating in his name to the Esophageal Cancer Action Network (www.ecan.org), Reel Recovery (www.reelrecovery.org) or a gift to Sophia’s 529 college fund (https://gift.my529.org/IWTPZ2). A Celebration of Life will be held on Sunday, November 21, 2021, from 11am-3pm at River School Farm, 7777 White Fir Street in Reno, Nevada. The event is casual, bike-friendly and primarily outside. Open house format, open mic for sharing memories begins at noon. Please be vaccinated, wear a mask, and remember to keep your lines tight and your long stories short.