Ronald C Methier

At sunset on March 17, 2025, Ronald C. Methier, 73, of Auburn, Ala. peacefully passed away at East Alabama Medical Center, surrounded by his family.

A native of Speedway, Ind., Ron graduated from Speedway High School in 1969. He attended Purdue University where he earned his degree in environmental engineering in 1973. In 1982, he graduated from the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) with a master’s degree in atmospheric sciences. He worked with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, where he served as Chief of the Air Protection Branch in the Environmental Division, and retired with 34 years of service. Throughout his career, he was involved with several national and regional air quality initiatives.

In 2018, Ron and his wife, Kathy, moved from Conyers, Ga. to Auburn to be a more integral part of the lives of their granddaughters. Ron was a man full of optimism who found the silver lining in every situation.  He was an explorer who found adventure at every turn.  He was an amateur photographer, an avid reader of history and books of fiction, a master at puttering in his garden or taking road trips with Kathy to explore the great USA.  Believing that “you’ll never know if you like it until you try it,” he was always up for sampling different foods or exploring different environments. He enjoyed riding his electric bike, taking sunrise walks at the beach or just relaxing with his toes in the sand, working crossword puzzles over coffee every morning, taking pictures of anything that inspired beauty to him, and generally demonstrating his love for family and friends with kindness. He loved all genres of music and discovered Rock & Roll Music cruises were the perfect way to enjoy them all in one location.

To know Ron was to love him. He was always ready with something positive to say and he never missed an opportunity for a good pun or to entertain with a classic joke. He will be missed for his smiles, his belly laughs, his love of ice cream and cookies, and the way he loved the Braves, his Purdue Boilermakers, the Auburn Tigers, and Indy car racing.  Ron was a true gentleman who opened doors for strangers and showed kindness to others. He never missed a school event, dance recital, beauty pageant, or sporting event for his daughters.  He always answered the phone when they called and would drop everything if he were needed.  He valued family above everything else.  One of his greatest pleasures was having 2 granddaughters to spoil and love with all his heart.

Ron was preceded in death by his parents, Pinky and Ray Methier of Conyers, Ga. He is survived by Kathy, his wife of 50 years; daughter and son-in-law Jessica and Ryan King of Auburn; daughter Melissa Methier of Brookhaven, Ga.; sister Jeanne Methier of Warsaw, Ind.; brother Jeffrey Methier of Phoenix, Ariz.; sister-in-law Carol Scullion of Long Branch, NJ; and his beloved granddaughters of Auburn along with nieces and a nephew.

Ron was very concerned about food insecurity in our community as well as the state of our declining environment.  If anyone is moved to make a tribute in Ron’s memory, the following charities were important to him.  

The Backpack Program of Auburn provides backpacks filled with food to students in need of food over the weekend (auburnbackpackprogram.org);

Food Bank of East Alabama, 355 Industry Dr, Auburn, AL 36832 (foodbankofeastalabama.com);

Planting a tree in memory of Ron (alivingtribute.org) or planting a tree, shrub or flower in his memory at a location dear to you; or,

Supporting a local charity of your choice.    

A Celebration of Ron’s Life will be held at a later date to share the happy memories with family and friends.