Dr. Ronald Alex Amuny Sr.

Ronald Alex Amuny, Sr. passed away peacefully on August 15, 2024, just two weeks shy of his 90th birthday. He was surrounded by his children and loved ones. He was a lifelong resident of Port Arthur and lived the last several months at Calder Woods in Beaumont. By all accounts Ronald was a rambunctious child.  He was a hard worker and excelled at school.He loved learning about new things and that was a constant throughout his life. While he loved school, what he loved most about school was sports. In high school he played football, baseball and basketball. His true love was football. He was an exceptional quarter-back at Thomas Jefferson, playing in the days of leather helmets and no face masks. He was an All-State Quarterback. He graduated at the top of his class and attended The University of Texas, graduating in three years.  He then went on to receive his D.D.S. from The University of Texas Dental School in Houston in 1959.

After dental school, Ronald returned to his hometown of Port Arthur. He practiced dentistry in Port Arthur and Mid-County for 64 years, finally hanging up his drill in early 2023. He truly loved being a dentist and what he enjoyed most were his patients. Without a doubt, he was a people person. If you were looking for a dentist to fill a cavity and get you out of the office quickly, you were in the wrong place. Ronald was going to visit, joke around and possibly talk your ear off.  He loved people and if he met a stranger, they were not a stranger for very long.  He had a huge and infectious personality. He was grouchy and grumpy at times, but was the most sweet, gentle and kind person you will ever find. It was impossible to be around him and not be engaged in whatever tale he was telling. There was always a twinkle in his eyes and a mischievous grin when he was plotting some prank on the staff in his office. He had a marvelous sense of humor and his laughter was contagious. The people who worked with him were his extended family and the hardest part of his retiring was that he no longer got to spend his days with them and his friends. For Ronald, his patients were more than just people who came in for dental work, they were friends and he cherished those relationships.

He believed very strongly in giving back. He lived the parable of “to whom much is given, much will be required.” In the early years of his practice, he received an award from the National Center for Voluntary Action in Washington, D.C. for heading the committee to develop a program of preventative dental hygiene education for the Port Arthur elementary schools. He never turned away a patient because they did not have money and could not afford a dentist. He was the first to volunteer his services for someone hurt in an accident or suffering from an illness who needed dental help. For many years he was an Adjunct Professor at the Dental Hygiene Clinic at Lamar Institute of Technology. Ronald thoroughly enjoyed teaching and we often thought if he had a second career choice, it would have been as a professor.  He was a problem solver and no matter the issue, he wanted to help and find a solution.  He was the epitome of “give you the shirt off his back.” He had no hesitation in giving you his advice, whether you wanted it or not. However, as it turned out, he was usually right (but we tried not to tell him that too much).

Ronald loved all things sports.  He was an avid golfer before injuring his shoulder.  He enjoyed the comradery of playing and spending time with his friends. Mostly he enjoyed the competition, as that was his nature.  His favorite golf partner was his son Clay.  If there was ever a television in a room, you can be assured that it would be tuned to a sporting event.  His television was permanently affixed to ESPN and we were not sure he knew there were other channels until he branched out to ESPN2. The emergence of the NFL channel was a big day in the Amuny world.  He loved it all.  If it was a sport, he would watch it – professional, college, men’s, women’s – anything and everything. You might even find him making a wager on a game or two.

Ronald was also happy in the kitchen. He learned to cook from his mother, who was a fantastic cook, and he was not too shabby himself.  He was at his best when cooking for a holiday or a time when he could share the meal with his family and friends.  Ronald often cooked in quantity so he could share it with everyone around him. Whether it was the traditional Lebanese fare, baklava or cookies, it was generally packed up to be sent to his friends.  He wanted to share the things he loved and food was high on his list.

By far the greatest love and treasure in Ronald’s life were his children, Ronald, Jr., Clay and Christy. He was immensely proud and was completely devoted to them.  He was a loving, compassionate and giving father. He was always there to listen, comfort and wanted nothing more than to make the world better for his children. Of all the things in his life that he enjoyed, he was never happier and never more content than when he had all of his children together. It did not matter if watching a game, going out to eat or cooking, just being together brought him immense joy. We could not have asked for a better father and role model.

Ronald is survived by his children, Ronald Alex Amuny, Jr. (Beaumont), Clay Andrus Amuny (Llano) and Christy Amuny (Beaumont). He is also survived by his long-time companion Carol Calloway.  On behalf of the family, we would like to thank Debbie, Veronica and Natasha for standing by Dad’s side, being his right hands and putting up with him for so many years in his dental practice. We would also like to thank those who took such tremendous care of our father including the phenomenal people at MD Anderson Cancer Center and in his final time, the wonderful caregivers at Harbor Hospice. We would especially like to thank and will be forever grateful to ladies who cared for our father over the last month and showered him with so much love, compassion and tenderness – Misty Sitterson, Dianne K. McNeil, Jeanette M. lamb, Taneka Duhon and Bessie Bluiett.

Ronald lived a long and wonderful life. He touched countless people and made a difference in so many lives. If a man is judged by the people in his life, then Ronald leaves a very rich legacy.  He was loved and cherished and he will be missed.

A visitation will be held from 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm on Monday, August 19, 2024 at Clayton Thompson Funeral Home.  A funeral service will be held at 11:00 am on Tuesday, August 20, 2024 at Clayton Thompson Funeral Home. Burial will follow at Greenlawn Memorial Park in Groves.

In lieu of flowers donations may be made in loving memory of Dr. Ronald Amuny to Gift of Life at www.giftoflifebmt.org or 2390 Dowlen Road Beaumont, Texas 77706, Southeast Food Bank at www.setxfoodbank.org or 3845 MLK Jr. Pkwy Beaumont, TX 77705 or M.D. Anderson at www.mdanderson.org.