Ronald Joseph Carrete, 73, of Virginia Highlands, NV, passed away peacefully on Friday, November 7, 2014 in Reno, NV from complications due to PSP (Progressive Supranuclear Palsy).

Ron was born April 13, 1941 to Herbert Carrete and Antoinette (Petti) Carrete in Plainfield, NJ. As an only child, Ron was blessed to have a large, loving extended family that he treasured. He was attractive, bright, charismatic and never far from his first true love – his guitar. After graduating from Plainfield H.S., he moved to Florida to study music at University of Miami and spent his free time playing gigs in Ft. Lauderdale.

In 1960, he set his sights on Hollywood and traveled to California to pursue a career in music. Shortly after arriving, he married and had two children, Richard and Debra (mother, Donna). He spent several years as an accomplished musician traveling and gigging in Vegas, Reno and Tahoe, with many great musicians including friends, Vince Howard (Heart-Soul & Inspiration) and Grammy winners, April Stevens and Nino Tempo. But he was humble, so many may not know that he also played with Sammy Davis Jr., Dean Martin, and Frank Sinatra, or that he turned down the opportunity to tour with The Ventures to avoid leaving his family.

In 1972, Ron married his loving wife and best friend of 42 years, Adela (with son Christopher). They soon added three children to their growing family, Ronald Jr., Danielle and Jeffrey. While raising his family in Southern California, he became a real estate agent and served as a Sheriff for Los Angeles County. Inspired by a love of skiing and the outdoors, he moved his family to Lake Tahoe, NV in 1988 where he served as a Placer County Sheriff, a correctional officer in Carson City and did investigative fraud work for the state of Nevada. He worked seasonally, along with his wife Adela, as a professional ski instructor for over 20 years.

Everyone loved my dad. He made everyone laugh, especially himself. He got along with everybody and loved to be in the middle of the action. Ron was a man of many talents. He could learn any skill and excel at it. He loved to teach and he was patient, fair and God-loving. He loved playing music at church, in his community and with his friends. Everyone wanted to play with him because he played with feeling and without ego. He made everyone else sound better.

At home, he was a devoted husband and father. He loved his wife’s cooking and a good bottle of wine. If you didn’t eat or drink fast enough, he’d help you out. He loved waking up early, crossword puzzles, hiking with his kids and working in his yard. He loved his dogs. A lot. He liked the occasional gossip magazine and knew everything about jazz. He passed his love of music on to his children and taught his sons to play guitar. And, he could pull a quarter out of your ear. He always stayed grounded to his love of family, music, and of course, the New York Yankees. He will be so missed.

Ron is preceded in death by his parents, WWII veteran, Herbert Carrete (passed 2014) and Anne Carrete (passed 2000). He is survived by his wife Adela, son Richard, daughter Debra, son Ronald Jr. (wife Lupe and children Brianeth, Kaitlynn & Noah), daughter Danielle, son Jeffrey (wife Jennifer and children Carmine & Rocco), and Christopher (children Christopher Jr., Amanda & her daughter Ebony), faithful beagle, Reggie (Jackson), and many in-laws, cousins, extended family and friends, too numerous to list but not forgotten.

A memorial service will be held on Saturday, November 22, 2014 at 10:00am at St. Rose of Lima, 100 Bishop Manouge Dr. in Reno, NV. Memorial donations may be made in Ron’s name to CurePSP (30 E. Padonia Road, Suite 201, Timonium, MD 21093) – See more at: http://www.psp.org/donate