Ronald P. Durr - Class of 1953
Ronald P. Durr of Ambler, Pennsylvania died Wednesday, September 13, 2023 at his home. He was 88 years old. Ron was born July 8, 1935 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, son of the late John Durr and the late Helene Marie Durr (nee - Müller). He is the beloved husband of Loretta C. Durr (nee - Drechsel); father of Paul Durr and Christine Durr; grandfather of Amanda and Kyrsten Sarmiento and Nicholas Hackler.
Ron was born at home in the Bridesburg section of Philadelphia and grew up in the Mayfair and Frankford neighborhoods in the city. He was an apprentice sheet metal worker as a teenager and was a graduate of the Jules Mastbaum Vocational Technical High School and Temple University where he received a degree in Technical Engineering.
He was a veteran of the United States Navy and served at Guantánamo Bay in Cuba as a communications officer during the Cuban missile crisis. He was honorably discharged from the Navy after reaching the rank of 2nd Class Petty Officer.
Ron married Loretta Drechsel on October 20, 1962 and the couple lived in Northeast Philadelphia until moving to Ambler, PA. During his working career Ron was a HVAC Technician and Project Manager for various companies in the Philadelphia area including H. C. Beck Company, W. Kramer Associates, Petro Company, Gerngross Corporation, James F. Oakley Company, Williard Corp., and Thermal Tech. He was the project manager for various building projects in Philadelphia including Liberty II, Frankford Hospital Torresdale Division, and Commerce Square. In later years he was an expert witness for an engineering firm.
Ron was a scout leader with Cub Scout Pack 75 and with the Boy Scouts of America Troop 223 in Frankford. In his leisure time he was active in the Masonic order where he was a Past Master and was currently a member of the W. K. Bray Lodge No. 410, F.& A.M. of Hatboro. He was also an active member of the Vereinigung Erzgebirge, a German social club in Warminster, PA, troop 223 assistant scout master 3 awards short of Eagle Scout, member of American association of wood turners, Bucks Wood Turners, Bucks Guild of Craftsman.