Ronald Brenton

Ronald Otto Brenton passed away November 25, 2025. He was born October 13, 1943, to Lorne and Mildred Brenton in Detroit, Michigan. He grew up on Detroit’s west side with his younger brother Douglas and sister Carolyn, attending Mackenzie High School and Wayne State University before spending his entire 38-year educational career teaching business at Mackenzie High School.

Loving father of Brian (Cathy), Mark (Marissa), Jeffrey (Kami), and Jennifer (Jason). Beloved grandfather of Joseph, Lindsey, Alex, Eleanor, Katie, Timothy, Brandon, and Mitchel.

Ron moved to Livonia, Michigan in 1968 and lived there in a ranch house with a large backyard on Wentworth until moving to a condominium in Howell in 2002. Following the death of his second wife, Sue, Ron moved to a smaller condominium in South Lyon and then to Oakmont Senior Living in Northville for his final years where he taught anyone and everyone how to play pinocle.

Ron left his mark in this world with his unending kindness to everyone he ever met, with nary a harsh word uttered in his 82 years of life. He also loved animals of all kinds, other than snakes. This included keeping and breeding dogs, cats, pigeons, bantam chickens, call ducks, dwarf Dutch rabbits, fancy mice, turtles, frogs, and tropical fish of every imaginable variety. He also had a green thumb, growing and hybridizing miniature African violets in a backyard greenhouse and then the basement of everywhere he lived for many years. He traveled the Midwest and eastern U.S. to plant shows and gardening clubs where he shared his unique varieties and expertise in growing them. Later in life, he became a collector of Depression era glassware, amassing a substantial collection with his wife, Sue, and later his longtime friend and companion Pat.

Ron also loved to cook, the larger the crowd the better. In his younger years, he was often in charge of various picnics, barbeques, and holiday parties for the pigeon club, rabbit club, and African violet club, once winning a competition for his barbequed rabbit. Holidays were marked with endless tins of Christmas cookies based on family recipes to be shared with family, friends, and anyone else who happened by the house. He will be dearly missed by his family and friends.

Visitation Thursday, December 4, 10:00am, until time of service, 1:00 pm, at Neely-Turowski Funeral Home, 30200 Five Mile Road, Livonia, MI 48154. Interment will follow at Glen Eden Memorial Park, 8 Mile Road west of Newburgh Rd. in Livonia.