John Charles Vronay
July 10, 1966 to September 5, 2016
John Charles Vronay went to eternal rest on September 5, 2016 . John was a son, brother, uncle, husband, and father; a musician, an engineer, a writer, and a friend.
His parents and siblings will remember him best as a boy, sitting at his piano, the notes drifting out the front windows onto the pasture where his beloved goats and sheep grazed. Often the music flowed straight from his imagination to the keys. John had such a great love of animals that he did not eat chicken for years after witnessing the butchering process, and once kept as a pet the slug that lived in his bathroom in Berkeley. He wrote funny songs about his pet goats Sandy and Priscilla, and gave personality to even the members of the family sheep herd (86 forever!)
Classmates from the California Maritime academy will remember John for the inspiring graduation speech he gave as Chief Engineer, which elicited both tears and laughter from an audience that included distinguished graduates and all of his proud family. During semesters at sea, his guitar cheered classmates as they sailed throughout the Pacific. That guitar still has sand in it from a beach in Indonesia. He went on to earn his Masters in Mechanical Engineering from University of Wisconsin at Madison.
His colleagues will recall his ability to not only fix any piece of equipment ever invented, but also to find new ways of using and optimizing it that resulted in improvements that benefited literally millions of people. He was a sought-after expert on co-generation plants, traveling the world to consult on projects and applying his engineering expertise to solve problems in unique ways. His technical papers were a fixture at ASME and other conferences where he was a popular speaker.
His friends will remember his easy laugh, how he always had a joke ready, the way he could find humor in anything. How he was the most loyal friend you could ever hope for. The way his guitar was never far, ready to play that song you loved but had forgotten how good it was until he brought it to life again. His epic skills with meat on the outdoor grill. His great love for the ocean and appreciation of all it held.
John never met an engine he could not fix, nor talked to a person for more than a few minutes without walking away as friends. His sense of humor was legendary and many long-time inside jokes enjoyed by family and friends originated with him. He was a kind person whose generous heart knew no boundaries.
His wife Faeeza and daughters Elissa and Sarah will forever hold in their hearts the love he had for them.
In lieu of flowers, his family asks that memorials in John's name be made to the funds set up for his daughters.
