FLORENCE - Ron was reading when he passed from this life into the next on Saturday, Feb. 20, 2010.

Ron was born in LaFayette, Ind., to Regina Minnicus Hansell and Richard Hansell. He was the second of four brothers.

He served in the Peace Corps and later enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps, where he served in Vietnam under Lt. (now U. S. Sen.) James H. Webb. He remained close to his Delta 1/5 brothers.

Ron and his wife, Rosemarie Neimeyer, raised their daughter, Sarah Hansell Paluso, in Indianapolis. He earned his BSCE and MSCE from Purdue University and his juris doctorate from Indiana University, Indianapolis School of Law, and practiced law in Indianapolis.

Ron loved music. He was active in the Indianapolis Symphonic Choir. He played guitar, cornet, trumpet, hammered dulcimer and harmonica. As if that weren't enough, he had an esoteric collection of CDs, tapes, sheet music and instruments of all kinds. Nothing related to music went untasted.

He moved to Montana in December 2001 and married Carolyn J. Stevens in January 2002. He passed the Montana State Bar examination and opened a solo practice in Missoula and Ravalli counties. He taught seminars across the country, was active in the American Bar Association, the Montana Bar Association and the Missoula and Ravalli county bar associations.

If you know Ron, you know his life as a lawyer was only a sliver of who Ron was. He had a big appetite for life, and Carolyn, knowing he was moving from Indianapolis (whose population equals the state of Montana) to Missoula, was concerned that he might find life a little tame. Lance Collister brought Ron into the Missoula Symphonic Chorale, and from there Ron was off and running. He sang with the Chorale, Habitat for Humanity's Messiah, Musikanten in Helena and Missoula, and the Florence-Carlton Community Church choir, and any other organization that needed a tenor on short notice. He played in the Missoula Concert Band and under Gary Gillette in the Wednesday Bonner Park City Band concerts and Tuba Christmas (where you could see one of his grandboys on his knee). He reveled in Missoula's arts, culinary delights at Perugia, First Night art walks and intricate sculpture. He lived for music, whether it was jazz, blues, classical, folk, bluegrass, alternative, rock or Middle Eastern. He dearly loved hearing and supporting local live musicians. Most recently, he was polishing his guitar skills under Tom Catmull's tutelage.

He is survived by his mother, Regina in Monticello; and brother, Larry, daughter, Sarah, son-in-law, Philip, and grandson, Roman, in Indianapolis; brother, Dennis (Marie) in Houston; and brother, Mark (E.A.) in Yelm, Wash. Waving bon voyage as Ron leaves on his final adventure are his wife, Carolyn, her daughter Katie and her son Jesse; and grandchildren, Gwen, Preston and Gabriel. Also wishing him bon voyage are many wonderful friends he enjoyed being with.

Service for Ron is being held at 2 p.m. Wednesday, March 3, at the Veterans Cemetery in Missoula.

In lieu of flowers, please send donations to Valor House, Great Northern Loop, Missoula, MT, or Liberty House, Fort Harrison, Helena.