BLUM
Dr. Ronald “Ronnie” Blum passed away on Saturday, January 2, 2021 in Dallas, Texas. Born in Fort Worth on November 2, 1936, Ronnie was a Panther at Paschal High School, where he played on the golf team and graduated in 1954. Despite setting off a minor fire and smoke out of the school’s chemistry lab, Ronnie chose a pre-med path in college, earning a BS in Biology from The University of Texas at Austin in 1958. He was a member of Sigma Alpha Mu and a Texas Cowboy, telling his family and friends, “I’m absolutely certain nobody had a better time in college than I did.”
Ronnie’s next stop was The University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, followed by a rotating internship at Parkland Memorial Hospital. After completing his internship, Ronnie entered the U.S. Navy as a Lieutenant and General Medical Officer, where he spent two years, the first at sea in The Taiwan Patrol, the Philippines, Japan and the South China Sea, serving as the ship doctor on a destroyer (the USS Edson, DD-946). Ronnie then returned to Dallas to begin his residency in Orthopaedic Surgery at The University of Texas Southwestern Medical School, where he met his wife of 50 years, Carolyn King, at Parkland Hospital. Upon completion of his residency, after briefly serving as an Associate Professor at The University of Texas Southwestern Medical School, he began private practice in orthopaedics with Dr. Don Vanderpool in 1970 at Presbyterian Hospital of Dallas, where he would practice for 38 years, including his last 10 years with Texas Orthopaedic Associates. While at Presbyterian Hospital of Dallas, he also served in other capacities, including Chairman of the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and President of the Medical Board.
Ronnie was happiest when spending time with his family. Other than traveling the southern coast of Maine and visiting Pittsburg, Texas with Carolyn, his favorite place to be was the golf course at the Dallas Athletic Club, playing “Wolf ” and bantering with his cherished friends. An avid golfer since he was a boy in Fort Worth (caddying and playing at Worth Hills), luck never granted him a hole-in-one, but he earned golf ’s more elusive prize, shooting under his age.
Ronnie’s family would like to thank his physician, Dr. Phillip Aronoff Jr., for his many years of compassionate care, as well as the attentive and caring physicians, nurses and therapists at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Dallas.
Ronnie is survived by his wife, Carolyn, sons Kyle and Greg, daughters-in-law, Alison and Natasha, former daughter-in-law Shannon Blum, as well as his six grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. He is also survived by his brother, Dr. Jerald Blum, brother-in-law Frankie King, his wife Henrietta and many nephews, nieces and cousins. Ronnie was preceded in death by his parents, Kate Beck Blum and Jack Blum.
He was a member of Temple Emanu-El in Dallas since 1970.
Ronnie was buried on January 8, 2021 in Leesburg Cemetery, Leesburg, Texas at a family graveside service with Rabbi Debra J. Robbins officiating.
Should friends desire, contributions may be made to Scottish Rite for Children (scottishriteforchildren. org), Ability Connection (abilityconnnection.org; formerly United Cerebral Palsy of Metropolitan Dallas) or Temple Emanu-El of Dallas (tedallas.org).