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One of the sobering realities of growing old is having to say goodbye to so many that are dear to us.
Yesterday Ron Johnsen, a pillar of the New England collecting community and my friend for more than 50 years, passed away at 80 in Beverly, MA, after a long battle with dementia. Anyone who collected in the Boston area from the 1970s through 2020 will remember Ron as a dealer of cards and comic books at shows large and small, ranging from Bill Dod's Bishop Guertin show in Nashua, NH, and the GBSCC shows in Wilmington, MA, to Bob Polio's monthly Braintree event. I'll bet many of you, like me, have treasured items in your collection that came from Ron Johnsen.
But Ron was much more than a memorabilia dealer. He was a passionate collector of the sets he grew up with in the 1950s, especially bread end labels and Royal Desserts cards. He also had a special affection for N284 Buchner baseball cards. Ron was devoted to Boston sports teams, living, and mostly dying, with the Red Sox until they exorcised the Curse in 2004, as well as supporting his alma maters, St. John's Prep and Providence College. He also was an avid environmentalist and outdoorsman, climbing all the peaks in the White Mountains and even dragging me to the summit of Mt. Monadnock one afternoon. A secondary school math teacher right out of college, he taught English as a second language for decades.
More important, Ron Johnsen was a loving family man, caring for his late wife Anne for many years and doting on his daughter Rachel Blanchette and grandsons Jacob and Mason. Moreover, Ron was as good a friend as I've ever had. May he rest in peace.
Bob Richardson