Ron was born in Lake County, Ohio to Edna and Robert Arko and was in the NICU for 6 weeks. After that rough start, the best thing about Ohio was the view of Lake Erie and the whitecaps from his very tall tree. His family moved to Scottsdale in 1968 and the best thing there was that he found Jesus at age 13 which changed his life. On 1/1/75 he made it out to California to attend college and get a job sweeping streets at Disneyland. (Ask Dori about his 16 hour shift in front of “Its a Small World”) finally ending up on the Jungle Cruise. (Yes, that WAS Ron you remember on that ride!). While at Pacific Christian College the best thing there was he met the lovely Dori Miss Right, and, upon agreeing on children’s names on their first date, married shortly thereafter. They both believe God custom made them for each other. While Ron was accepted for grad school at Yale, USC and Pepperdine, he went to the one with the ocean view.

After finishing his doctorate, they were blessed with their pre-named children, first André and then 2.5 years later Anja. Both are BIOLA grads. André and his wife Amy work in the Computer Tech field, and live in San Francisco. Audiologist Dr. Anja and her husband James Carl live in Las Vegas, where she works for the UNLV Medical School and he and his brother have started a Plumbing Company. Ron also regularly visited his BFF in San Francisco, Dave Ball, where they discussed life while walking the Golden Gate Bridge and watching the white caps in the bay. Every year in June, after the school year ended, Ron and Dori (who is a Speech Therapy Assistant) went to Maui. The best part about living in Corona Del Mar was he could walk to Ocean Ave every day to see the whitecaps. The best part of his job was he really enjoyed listening to people and helping them find solutions, hope, faith and optimism. As a client of his once said “you always lovingly and  patently helped your clients through some of the most difficult times of their lives, as you tried to offer a safe place as well as your constant refrain that God is always Good”. Ron loved his work and his people.

Last year Ron lost his counseling partner of 33 years, Michael P. McGinnis, 64, to a cardiac event from the flu. Shortly after that Ron lost his mentors of 46 years, Rev. Bruce Benson, 99, and Catherine Benson, 91. He met them as he arrived at PCC while a wee lad of 19, upon offering to help PCC bookkeeper Catherine by forging an unsigned check needed for a delivery. She did accept and yelled out “found it!”  Months after that they let him stay at their house for 2 weeks to weep after the end of his first engagement. They then were then closer than parents and children, talked on the phone every morning on his way to work, and bonded with a deep love that flowed from their shared love of Jesus, seeing people through eyes of love and not judgement, and their desire to make a difference for the kingdom of God. At PCC they called him a Cheshire Giraffe- when he left a room his smile remained up in the corner. 🙂

Ron has been blessed to have Dori for 40 years, André and Anja over 30 years, and mentors Tom and Josie over 25 years. Ron has a sense of humor that, at times, is appropriate. His Dr. Ron-ism’s, the quotes, stories, scriptures and illustrations that he used to help others understand the world better and see the truth of God’s love, will live on in the hearts of those he helped. He loves the Word, Henri Nouwen on God’s love, AW Tozier’s on suffering, GK Chesterton on joy and wonder, Larry Warner’ on discernment, Scott Peck on life being easier once you accept its difficult, and Jesus Calling on daily trusting God in the morning.  

In the end he hopes God will feel that he loved and served God, his family and God’s people.