Ronnie David Litaker, 70, of Watervliet died peacefully November 20, 2020. An avid grill master on his deck, a Fox News contributor from his chair and knower of Jack S*#t (he had a hat to prove it), Ronnie provided insight on all things big and small to those he loved.
After meeting the love of his life at 17 years-old, he and Wanda began their many adventures together and never looked back. Joining the U.S. Navy provided the opportunity to live and work in many areas of the United States, as well as abroad. After being stationed in Iceland for two years, they returned to New Orleans to settle down and raise their children.
Upon their return to Michigan, Ronnie began working at Whirlpool in a variety of roles until his retirement in 2005. While there, he made many lifelong friends throughout his departments, often providing knowledge and advice based on his wide array of backgrounds. Perhaps his favorite role was working as a fire inspector on dryers, finally able to put his “knower of Jack S*#t” title to good use.
Ronnie’s children provided him more joy and happiness than he was comfortable admitting. Those close to Ronnie knew he was a man of many words, but mostly words based on facts rather than emotion. Providing pro tips was how he showed his love the most and made us all better for it along the way.
His grandchildren provided an opportunity to see the world through a new lens as a grandpa. Grandpa Ronnie enjoyed the wonder the grandkids brought, and he loved seeking out the toy he thought would be perfect. No matter how small the token, the gestures were large; that was how he showed his love. Thinking about his family and friends, no matter the task at hand.
He is survived by his wife of 52 years, Wanda (Brock) Litaker, of Watervliet; children, Bryan Litaker of Hartford and Stephanie (Andrew) Rockafellow of Charlotte; two grandchildren, Rachel Litaker and Chase Rockafellow; siblings, Charles (Nancy) Litaker of Denton, Texas, Wanda (Len) Robbins of Berrien Springs, Michael (Jean) Litaker of Watervliet, Roger (Darlene) Litaker of Benton Harbor and Terry (Kathy) Litaker of Watervliet and numerous nieces and nephews.
Ronnie was preceded in death by parents, Jake and Viola Litaker of Benton Harbor and brother, Howard (Carol) Litaker of Benton Harbor.
A private memorial service was held November 24, due to pandemic restrictions. The family will host a celebration of life gathering in the warmer months ahead.
Offer Condolence for the family of Ronnie David Litaker
Print Obituary & Condolences
Rob Hoffman
Wanda,
My heart sank when I heard of Ronnie’s passing.
As a new engineer at Whirlpool, he took me under his wing and not only taught me all the unexpected details of how a dryer works, but I learned how intelligent he was, his quick wit, and the kind, down to earth person he was. He was my lunch mate for many years at the pool and our times sitting by your indoor pool and talking about all kinds of subjects over a beer is something I will never forget.
One aspect of Ronnie you may not have know was his assignment of nick names to engineers who came down and worked with him. He didn’t hold back any punches when it came to nick names. His nick name for Mark Jaske was jackleg, he named another engineer shaggy from the scooby doo cartoon because the person looked like that cartoon character.
Ronnie assigned me the nick name bonehead, and it was well deserved. He and I were working Saturdays on a project so I offered to help with the test set up. He tried to teach me how to weld thermocouples but my skill to perform that task was less then acceptable. To allow me to still contribute, he had me connect the thermocouples to the strip chart recorder. When we started the test, some of the thermocouples were hooked up backwards, even though Ronnie went through how to connect them correctly several times. At that point he told me I was just a bonehead, and the nickname stuck from that point on.
Ronnie touched many people in a positive way. That is how I will always remember him. I am sure you will too Wanda.