Ronald "Ron" S. Blincoe Obituary (1968 - 2019)

Ronald "Ron" S. Blincoe, age 50, of Baker City, Oregon died Saturday, July 20, 2019 at St. Alphonsus Regional Medical Center in Boise after a long battle with complications related to Diabetes.. A memorial service will be held at 2:00 P.M. on Saturday, August 3, 2019 at the First Church of the Nazarene in Baker City. Ronald Steven "Ron" Blincoe was born to parents Joe Blincoe and Julia (Griffith) Blincoe in Ironton, Missouri. Ron spent his early years in Lesterville, Missouri, and was joined by a sister Ellen (Blincoe) Dillard in 1971. Ron's parents took teaching positions in Oregon and Ron and his family moved to Madras, Oregon, in 1976. Ron attended second grade through high school in Madras. He was active in school. He played briefly on the football team, ran varsity track, played varsity basketball, played on the golf team, was a member of the science club, performed in a school theater production and enjoyed various styles of gaming with his friends. Most notably, Ron was a champion chess player. He participated in several state Chess tournaments in Portland, placing high among his peers. He was both a lover and student of the game all his life. After graduating from Madras High School in 1987, Ron attended Eastern Oregon State College where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology. While at Eastern, he made many friends and met his future wife, Dawna (Davis) Blincoe. They started dating in February of 1988, during their freshman year, and married in June of 1994. After college graduation, Ron began working for the Oregon Department of Fish and WIldlife. He worked out of the offices located on Eastern's campus and was a part of many research projects and played softball and basketball with his colleagues. He enjoyed working in the field and the outdoor components of his job, though he did not enjoy the flights via small aircraft into Red's Horse Ranch to sample the streams in the region. Ron was an entertaining story and joke teller and liked to tell stories of his experiences in the field.. Ron was an avid gamer. Dungeons and Dragons, chess, darts, ping pong, cards - he enjoyed both competitive and social games. Throughout college, Ron, Dawna and various friends and roommates played Rook and other games most weekend nights. Dawna and Ron played in competitive dart leagues and were introduced to Magic: the Gathering, a collectible card game. It continued to be a game he enjoyed for the rest of his life. They both participated in Magic tournaments and Ron was invited to play at the World Championships in Seattle due to his success in regional sanctioned tournaments. In college and into his teaching, Ron was a strong ping pong player. He spent hours playing in the dorms at Dorian Hall and rarely had to return to the line from losing a game. At Huntington, he played against his students after classes. He organized many tournaments for his students, from Magic to ping pong to Rock-Scissor-Paper because he felt gaming and strategy were so good for mental growth. Ron enjoyed teaching social and strategy games to his family and students including Magic and Werewolf. Ron and Dawna moved to Baker City in the fall of 1994 where Dawna had just taken a teaching position at Baker High School. Ron commuted back and forth to La Grande for his ODFW job. Rather than chase ODWF jobs all over the state, Ron decided to return to university to get his teaching degree. In 1996, he student-taught in Huntington, Oregon, and then took over the science position the following year where he taught until his death. Ron taught many different courses at Huntington School and made amazing connections with his students. He always felt his job was not only to teach science but to create a safe environment for his students. That they did so well on state testing--that was a bonus. During his time at Huntington, Ron created a gaming club and took students to various Magic competitions in the Boise area, helped coach basketball and track, and was the Leadership Advisor. He always hoped that he made a positive impact on his students' lives. Ron and Dawna welcomed their first daughter, Erin, in March of 1999, and their second daughter, Renee, in November of 2002. He loved his girls very much. He enjoyed sharing his love of games with them and came to as many of their activities and events as he could while teaching 45 miles away. He was the go-to for field trips, including to the Sumpter Dredge and the Oregon Trail Museum, and for science or history related homework. He enjoyed seeing how their different personalities developed and seeing them grow into young adults. Ron was preceded in death by his grandparents, Willis and Madgie Griffith, and Elizabeth and John Blincoe; his great aunt, Myrtle Rodgers; his uncle, Paul Griffith; cousin, Karen Robinette and his father-in-law, Don Davis. He is survived by his wife, Dawna and daughters Erin and Renee of Baker City, Oregon; his parents Joe and Julia Blincoe of Madras, Oregon, and his sister Ellen (Bill) DIllard and their children, Allison, Rachel, Kristen and Andrew of Carrollton, Texas. Survivors also include his uncles Kenneth (Yvonne) Blincoe, Bob (Donna) Blincoe, Don "Buzz" Blincoe, David (Sue) Blincoe, Charles (Mae) Griffith and aunt Eloise Griffith along with many cousins. He is also survived by his wife's family and many beloved friends, coworkers, and students. Ron was diagnosed at age 47 with type 1 Diabetes. It was a diagnosis he struggled with but worked to control. He had some skin and stomach complications related to the disease and struggled to maintain his weight, ultimately leading to serious weight loss and nutrition-related electrolyte imbalances. In the end, he did not have the physical reserves to fight off a serious infection. The family asks that any donations people wish to make be directed to the Billie Ruth Bootsma Outpatient Clinic in Baker City to help purchase a wound treatment chair. This can be done through Coles Tribute Center at 1950 Place Street, Baker City, OR 97814.