Ronald Lee Rae

Ronald Lee Rae, known to family and friends as Ron, was a Michigan craftsman and artist who spent his life quietly devoted to family, creativity, and the open road. He was born on March 29, 1937, in Saginaw, Michigan, and died on September 5, 2026, in Rochester, Michigan, at the age of 89. Unlike many people profiled on this site, Ron was not a public figure in the conventional sense of film, politics, or sport. He does not have a Wikipedia entry, and the record of his life comes chiefly from the obituary published by Sawyer-Fuller Funeral Home and Cremation Services of Berkley, Michigan. This page exists because his family and community wanted his life remembered, and because that is the purpose of this site: to give a plain, honest account of a person who mattered to the people around him.

According to his obituary, Ron had studied art at the Center for Creative Studies in Detroit, training that shaped the creative pursuits he carried through the rest of his life. That grounding in formal art instruction showed most clearly in the hobbies for which family and friends remembered him: he made his own stained glass windows and lamps, work that reflected patience and an eye for color and light. Alongside that careful, deliberate craft, he had a taste for freedom and speed, and he was an enthusiastic motorcycle rider for much of his life.

Ron was the son of John and Edna Rae of Saginaw, Michigan, and was raised, according to his family, with a strong emphasis on togetherness, humor, and hard work. He was married to Kathleen Rae, who predeceased him, and the couple raised three children together. He was also preceded in death by his parents, his brother Jim Rae, and his sister Rosalie Bowes. He was survived by his daughter, Karen Lieberman, his sons Collin Rae and Brian Rae, and his grandchildren Michelle Gettel and Bryan Lieberman.

There is no publicly reported record of Ron holding elected office, appearing in media, or otherwise achieving national or regional prominence, and no cause beyond natural causes has been cited for his death. What is documented, and what his family chose to highlight, is a life built around craft, family loyalty, and a love of motion. His obituary described a life of talent, devotion, and character, leaving behind a legacy of creativity that his family and friends said they would cherish. This page will be updated if further details about his life or career come to light through additional public sources.