Ronald Lee Ester, Jr.

Ronald Lee (Ron) Ester, Jr was born on May 31, 1962 in East St Louis, IL. He passed from this life on December 21, 2025, in Denver, Colorado.

He and his family moved to Farmer City, IL in May, 1964 and lived there until May, 1976 when they moved to Broken Arrow, OK. He was excited because he could get his motorcycle license at 14 and ride to school. He played football the first year in Broken Arrow, and joined the junior rodeo riding bulls when he was 15. Upon graduation from Broken Arrow High School he was given a gift of a free trip. He traveled Boston, Bermuda, Los Angeles and back home. That began his love for adventure, including many cruises and diving trips. He attended Oklahoma State University and became a lifelong fan of OSU and Hideaway Pizza!

On Feb 10, 1983 he joined the US Marine Corps. He’s always been a proud Marine, and made his family proud. Afterwards he lived in Broken Arrow and worked at Homeland, Quiktrip and Loads, Inc with his brother and family. Later he moved to St Louis and then Warren County, MO where he worked as an EMT and then a Paramedic. During the last year there he commuted back to OK working Monday through Friday with family and going back to Warren County for 2 double shifts on the weekend where he was awarded “Firefighter of the year”. After 10 years in MO he moved back to Broken Arrow to work full time with family.

In 2003 Ron met the love of his life, Penny, who convinced him to move to Colorado in 2005. They both enjoyed Jimmy Buffet’s music and had met several times at concerts. They had a circle of friends who would meet at these concerts and became engaged at the home of one of these couples. When they married in 2007 they were surrounded by about 75 of these friends from all over the country – and a few relatives - all in Hawaiian clothes. They loved the beach and were planning their retirement for 2027 in the Galveston area.

While in Colorado, Ron worked at the largest private labeler of rice and beans in the U.S., Trinidad Benham Corporation, for twenty years. **See below for a synopsis of Ron’s career at Trinidad Benham.

He is survived by his wife Penny Ester, mother Marty Ester, brother Mark Ester and wife Dana, Nephew John Mark Ester and wife Laela, 2 great nieces and 1 great nephew and step-son Cameron Woodlee.

He was preceded in death by his father, Ron Ester, Sr and a brother Brian Scott Ester.

A memorial service celebrating a life well lived will be held at 10 am Saturday, January 17, 2026 in the Broken Arrow Church of Christ, 505 East Kenosha, Broken Arrow, OK. Officiating will be the church minister, Tim Pyles.

Inurnment will be at a later date in Fort Logan National Cemetery in Denver, Colorado.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Food Bank at the Broken Arrow Church of Christ (info@bacoc,org).

**Ron started his career at Trinidad Benham Corp on December 19, 2005. He started as an Expeditor in the Traffic Team, working for Steve DiPasquale. His vast knowledge of logistics and transportation and his professionalism was noted, and he was quickly given additional responsibilities as a traffic coordinator. He arranged truck and railcar deliveries to and from our vendors and customers. His knowledge of the industry and of our company was invaluable and he was part of the onboarding process for new employees across the company. He cared about everyone being successful at Trinidad Benham.

Ron was eventually promoted to Bulk Production Planning Manager. He was responsible for railroad strategy, from moving rail cars to leasing and contracting leased cars. He successfully executed 3000 railcar loads in 2023. When we were short-staffed, he happily volunteered to assist with export shipments and documentation in the Merchandising/Trading Department. He was also tasked with grading bean samples during harvest and would schedule which plant was to receive and pack that lot of beans. Although he was very busy, he would take the time to show that he cared for people by training them, sharing a story of the old days at Trinidad Benham or just checking in with everyone by asking, “are we having fun yet?” Ron and his smile are missed at Trinidad Benham, however, we are going to make sure that his legacy continues and take on each day as Ron would with kind words and a positive attitude.