Ronald L. Bork, age 85, beloved husband of Margaret Quealy Bork, of Amelia Island, passed away on Thursday, September 29, 2022, at the Warner Center for Caring after a brief illness.

Born on November 23, 1936, to Ethel and Harold Bork in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania, Ron went on to be a star basketball player, even to the semi-professional level in Pennsylvania. While achieving his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration at Geneva College, Ron met Leah Schill. They married on August 15, 1959 and moved to Baltimore where Ron taught in the Baltimore County Public School System. In 1964 Ron was called to serve in the army and completed his training in Texas. He served as a Medic until his Honorable Discharge in 1966.

From 1966 to 1973, Ron worked for the National Can Corporation as Supervisor of Employee Relations, working in New York City for the Kraft Paper Division and Industrial Relations Supervisor in Elkhart, Indiana.

Ron started with Warner-Lambert in 1973. Ron’s career with Warner-Lambert took him from the rolling hills of central Pennsylvania to the teeming towers of Hong Kong. He began the international portion of his career in 1987 with a Human Resources assignment in Hong Kong. Ron stayed with Warner-Lambert until his retirement in 1997. It was during this time that Ron became Regional Director of Human Resources in their International Division which included Southeast Asia, India, and Hong Kong. This assignment sparked Ron’s interest in travel throughout Europe, the Caribbean and, most memorable, his trip to Cuba in 2019 just before window of opportunity was closed to U.S. citizens.

Ron was an avid golfer trying out the links in India, Hong Kong and, of course, Scotland. A long-time member of the Golf Club of Amelia Island, Ron served two terms as President of the Men’s Golf Association and was named Player of the Year three times! Ron inaugurated the Amelia Island Museum of History Golf Tournament, an annual event now in its twenty-third year.

Living in the Golf Side South community Ron was known, not only for his low golf scores and short back swing, but for his sartorial elegance. Whether attending Happy Hour at the club or driving around in his Jaguar Sports car, he always looked polished and correct; even his golfing outfits were color coordinated from the hat to the shoes! He was the consummate elegant gentlemen and was loved and cherished by his friends and neighbors, who gathered round and supported him when he lost his beloved Leah to cancer in February of 2016; they were celebrating their fifty-six years of marriage.

Ron carried on with his golf and community projects and joined a local gym, Club 14 Fitness. It was there that he met Mollie Quealy, who had just arrived in Amelia Island from her teaching position in Uruguay. She came to the Plantation to keep an eye on her 96-year-old mother who was driving, golfing three times a week with the women’s eighteen holers at Golf Club of Amelia Island and generally enjoying herself! It was when Ron generously offered to evacuate Mollie and Betty to Athens, Georgia during hurricane Matthew in 2016 and again for Irma in 2017, that their relationship really blossomed. Ron Bork was their hero and the gallant gentlemen who made sure their hotel was perfect and even brought a portable putter so he and Betty could compete every evening! The following year, on December 21st at the Fernandina Court House, Ron and Mollie married; thus, it was that Ron continued his travels to all the capitals of Europe, to South America, Cuba and even St. Petersburg, Russia.

Ron was preceded in death by his wife, Leah Bork, their two sons, David Ronald Bork and Christopher John Bork, and his younger brother, Harold Edward Bork. He is survived by his niece Kendra Mullen, his nephew Paul Bork, and his wife, Margaret Quealy Bork, who will sorely miss his wonderful smile, quick wit, and generosity of spirit. Ron was one of a kind in terms of his thoughtful, caring outlook and willingness to become involved in community projects.

If so desired, memorial contributions may be made in Ron’s memory to the Community Hospice Jane and Bill Warner Center for Caring, 1348 South 18th Street, Building B, Fernandina Beach, Florida 32304