Dustin and his brother Brandon and sisters Stacy and Seanna..all grew up with Ronnie and Justin when the Brion family returned to Ithaca, NY.  Of course, the boys loved hockey, lacrosse, football.  All four boys excelled in their sport and Dustin, as we know, went on to the NHL and joined the LA Kings.

After Ronnie's passing, the artwork of Ronnie was shared with family and friends.  Ronnie's character, pictured blowing a big bubble, was inscribed "It's Worth Every Breath".  Dustin took heart in the drawing and commissioned an artist to "create" a four foot by six foot "lego" structure depicting the drawing.  It now hangs in Dustin's office in his California home.

Cayuga Medical Center

Ronnie was having a hard time breathing.  The doctors could not determine what to do.  Ronnie's Cancer team of doctors were in Rochester, at Strong Memorial Hospital.  Many folks did not want Ronnie to be moved to Rochester.  That involved a helicopter ride, which meant that Ronnie would have to be intibated. Ronnie took the decision making away from everyone. While discussions were underway, I walked into Ronnie's cubicle.  He was signing the permission papers for the ride.  I just looked at him.  Ronnie said, "Pops, It is the only thing I can do."  I just said, "I know".

Strong Hospital

The decision was made to induce Ronnie into a coma so that the treatment could be rendered easier and Ronnie's system could respond easier. My last talk to Ronnie ended with him pulling me to him.  He stared at me real hard and then hugged me around the neck..tight.  He whispered in my ear, "I am ok. I am ready. It is all ok."  I wonder to this day what he meant by "I am ready".  For what?  I now know what Ronnie meant.  He knew that his Mother and I were going to be asked to make an impossible decision in a few days. Ronnie already knew and was confident of the decision we would make. He was telling me that it was ok.  "I am ready".  I mean to ask him some day. 

Larry Hoppen was a founding member of the band Orleans.   I met Larry when he was a music major at Ithaca College in 1968-69. Larry came to the Band "Big Daddy and the Duquenes".  He brought his friends that became the horn section of Teddy Antrum's (Big Daddy) band. We had many fun and great times together. Teddy, Wink Warren, Howie O'Dell, Larry and friends. The band grew into a favorite in Central New York and the Ithaca/Cortland areas. Larry also became a close friend of the Brion Family.  Mom and Dad Brion grew to love the "music and band" impact on our family as we grew through the times.  They really enjoyed Larry and his music.  I will never forget Larry..so talented. His legacy will live on..so much more to give.   Chet Brion

Ronnie grew up surrounded by family. Ronnie developed close relationships with his cousins Cori and Heidi, daughters of my youngest sister Patty.   Patty and our parents, Mom & Dad Brion, lived in Ft. Myers. The California Brion Family made several cross country trips to visit and vacation.  The "cousins", Justin, Ronnie, Cori & Hieid all spent lots of time together at the beaches and pools. 

Ten years after Ronnie passed away, Cori and Don Hill were blessed with the birth of their "perfect" daugther on November 15, 2013.  Cori & Don named their daughter Ronni Leann Hill, in honor of Ronnie Alick Brion. A very proud moment for all of us and I know it is a very proud time for Ronnie Brion. 

On her 1st birthday, a time capsule was presented to Ronni and her parents that provides the history of her namesake Ronnie Brion. 

As Paul Harvey use to say at the end of his radio broadcast, "And now, you know the rest of the story".  

May 23, 2012


Ronnie's Dad, Chet Brion and Bryan Brown are cousins and they grew up together.  Bryan's youngest son, Dustin Brown grew up to be one of the best hockey players in the Nationl Hockey League.  Dustin is captain of the LA Kings.  The LA Kings have proved to the hockey world that they are one of the best hockey teams in 2012, WINNING the Stanley Cup against the NJ Devils. Dustin played outstanding in the playoffs and it was a pleasure to watch HIS Dream come true. 


Ronnie and his brother Justin loved and played hockey.  Justin still plays in an adult league.  They grew to love and respect Dustin and Justin maintains a close relationship.  

I contacted Bryan and congratulated him and Dustin for making it to the playoffs.  This was our exchange..

On Wed, May 23, 2012 at 7:28 AM, Chet Brion <cjb16@cornell.edu>wrote:

Just fantastic..congrats to Dustin and The Kings..Betcha Ronnie was watching and loving it..going to be a great SC Final..Hi to Hope..Love ya..C

Thanks and we know that if there is a angel riding on Dustin's shoulder it's Ronnie. Talk to you soon. Love ya B

Exciting Times..Enjoy Bryan..I will and I know that  Ronnie and Justin are loving it....Chet  

This reflection was presented at the Memorial Service at Sage Chapel, June 13, 2003. 

I am Michael Kittner, Ronnie’s 1st cousin. I think this is the most extraordinary collection of smiles, of human compassion and faith, of courage and strength that has ever before been gathered at Sage Chapel…with the possible exception when Ronnie Brion worshipped here alone.

He who loses friends loses much..

I don’t believe Ronnie ever did anything other than make friends, many who are sharing in his peace and many more still who are here today in this celebration of his life.  Now, as a cousin growing up with Ronnie on Keuka Lake, many times did he cause me great discomfort, beating me in hot dice and taking my quarter, or , later, beating me in tennis and taking great pride.  But, you can’t lose cousins, we’re family, we’re always there. 

Yesterday and today, I have been able to meet Ronnie’s friends, many of whom know Ronnie from high school, which only reiterates the aura that envelopes Ronnie..always making and consequently keeping friends…and keeping friends is the harder thing, but the much finer thing also.  No doubt, Ronnie hears all his friends saying today…But you also can’t lose friends.  We’re like family, we’re always here.  Friends are family you made for yourself.

He who loses courage loses much..

Ronnie’s senior year in high school..he was quarterback..and played an inner-city school from Syracuse in the Carrier Dome.  1st play..sack;  2nd play..sack;  3rd play, successful handoff, but hit behind the line of scrimmage - but you know what?  Ronnie got up gracefully every time. Grandma, who was next to me, even starting crying - I told her he had pads on and it’s worse than it looks – but she did not believe me.  Nevertheless, I learned that long ago and still believe the same thing today, that, sure, you can knock Ronnie down, you may even be able to knock the wind out of his 6’2” frame, but you can never knock the courage out of him.

But he who loses faith loses all!

Courage and faith are conditioned; you rarely have one without the other.  Just as Ronnie felt the pain of courage in that football game, so too did he feel the elation of success that faith brought with her in that game where – with 8 seconds remaining – Ronnie threw a 47 yard TD pass that won the game.  Would you – with 8 seconds left – believe you could win that game?  I wouldn’t.  Ronnie used football as a metaphor for life.  Faith, you must have – he knew this, knew it well and I think he tried to show us, make us believe such through his artwork and conversations.  And he did – with time.  He made us feel secure, yet always concerned, that Ronnie’s courage came from his faith and our faith comes from Ronnie’s courage.  Ronnie knows that faith sees the impossible,  believes the incredible and receives the impossible.  And, thanks to him, so do we also. 

Luke, in his Gospel – Luke being a doctor – urges us to fear not, “the very hairs of our heads are all numbered” (12:7).  The Lord loves us so much, He knows how many hairs you have on your head.  Think of the one person you love the most – do you know the number of hairs on his or her head?  God does.  And a deity with love so great never does bad things, only allows great occurrences.  Ronnie believes this, knows this to be true.  So, why should we not?  The best things are felt, not seen.

Ronnie,

Be remembered as a courageous, faithful, loving friend, nephew, uncle, cousin, son, and grandson who saw life and always lived it, saw a battle and fought to win it, saw heaven and its perfect peace and gladly accepted it.

General Washington said of 100 soldiers going into battle – 80 don’t belong here, 15 are targets, 4 are fighters, but there is only 1 warrior..We know this warrior..and I know now he is smiling.  We know whom he is with and We know he, this warrior, is smiling.

Ronnie Brion

His Thoughts and Words

These clips are excerpts from letters that Ronnie wrote to his Aunt Barb over the past months as he battled his illness. The family thought you all should share the enlightenment Ronnie was experiencing.

“The love of my family is my strength”.

“I am strong because I have the love of my family. Cancer cannot cripple love, in fact, it doesn’t stand a chance in the presence of the love I feel”.

“Going through this has opened my eyes to the truth…love is eternal and non-extinguishable. It is beyond time or circumstance. It is a rock I can always stand on”.

“I cherish time with my family..and I have really started to understand the relationships they have with me and with one another”.

“I have become more aware and less selfish in my vision of the people I am around and it has rewarded me tenfold by showing me “true love”.

“I feel blessed and stronger than ever before”.

“My strength comes from my loving family and friends..a support group so filled with love, selflessness and prayer”.

“Through this entire thing, since my first doctor’s appointment on November 28, 2001, I never felt like a victim or a statistic. I never once felt unlucky to be going through this. I think it is because I realize how much worse it could be. I could be without family and friends, who you know are my source of strength. I could have more disease, or even worse..someone I love could have cancer and I would have to watch them go through this process. All of these things seem a lot worse that what actually is happening. I’ve actually come , once I gave in and accepted it (the cancer), to see this as a blessing”.

“It sounds a little cliché to say that this experience has made me appreciate life so much more, but it is true in every aspect”.

“It is kind of weird to think that through this entire thing I’ve yet to cry once. I’ve wanted to plenty but I haven’t allowed myself to let go yet. I bet when this is all over and I’ve beat it, I’ll have one good, long cry..but, instead of tears of sadness and fear, they can be tears of joy and victory”.

“I’ve persevered through this with the thoughts that some day I would be back to normal. But, as I’m coming to see, I forgot what normal was. I’ve changed in so many ways, things I used to care about before just don’t matter now. My definition of success and being a successful person has gone from one of money and materialism to just being happy. I know now that a happy person, truly happy, is the most successful type”.

My Brother Ronnie

Growing up together creates a special bond.

The playing and laughing brought us closer together.

The fights and struggles only made us stronger.

You have been the kind of brother that every brother

Should be, when it seemed there was no one else,

you were always there to give me that

extra little push I needed.

I have had many dear friends, and hope

to have many more. But I know that there

will never be anyone who could take your place.

Thanks for being a wonderful Brother,

But most of all for just being a great friend!

I love you….Justin

                                             Ronnie Called Me Pops

Reflections of Ronnie Brion

Presented By His Father Chet Brion

June 13th, 2003 

I Never Thought I Would Be Doing What I Am Doing Today..Celebrating The Life Of My Son, Ronnie.   Ronnie  Called Me Pops. 

I Am So Very Proud Of Ronnie, For The Way He Lived His Life, For The Devotion And Compassion He Showed, Not Only To His Family And Friends, But To Everyone He Met.

I Feel So Lucky To Have Had The Time We Did Have..Yes..25 Years Is Too Short..But When I Sit And Recall Our Life Together And His Accomplishments,  And All The Good Things About Ronnie, It Feels Like He Was Here A Lot Longer Than 25 Years.

Many Of You Knew My Mom, Madelyn, Ronnie’s Grandma Brion. 

Mom Had A Dreadful Fear Her Whole Life…Having To Live Through The Death Of One Of Her Children. 

It Scared Her To Death.

A Few Days Before Mom Left Us..She Told Me How Blessed She Was..The Life She Had And Her Wonderful Family And Kids…. Mom Said She Felt Most Thankful That She Escaped Her Biggest Fear. 

I Know She Is Here With Me Today, Comforting Me, Helping Me To Meet And Challenge Her Biggest Fear.

Ronnie And I Had A Strong Relationship, A True Respect For Each Other And We Just Plain Loved Each Other A Whole Lot. 

We Liked Each Other’s Company And In The Last 8 Months, We Grew Very Close.

Of Course, Growing Up, Ronnie, Justin And I Loved Our Sports.  In Fact The Entire Family, The Jones And The Brions, Enjoyed Sports. 

Whether It Be Tennis, Golf, Football, Lacrosse, Hockey Or Cards..Sports Was A Big Part Of Our Lives.

We Enjoyed The Competition, The Physical And Mental Challenges And The Chemistry Of Teamwork. 

Maybe…Just Maybe.. We Were A Bit Too Competitive At Times, A Bit Loud..Just Maybe!!! 

We All Loved Watching Our 49ers. We All Loved Tennis In Hammondsport.  We All Loved The Thanksgiving Day Football Games. 

Most Of All, I Loved Watching My Sons Compete.  Makes A Father Very Proud As You All Know.

Ronnie And I Had An Ongoing Competition Whether It Be Pool, Cribbage, Bowling Or Betting On Football Games.

We Would Play The Best Of Three Matches.  The Trophy Was What We Referred To As “The Bill”..The $10 Bill.

The Right To Carry “The Bill”  Was Important To Us.

Ronnie Kicked My Butt Regularly In Pool But We Were Pretty Even When It Came To Cribbage And Bowling.

We Played A Lot Of Crib And Bowled A Lot In Rochester,  Passing The Time As We Went Through What Ronnie Called “The Process”.

I Was The Holder Of “The Bill”  Going Into Our Last Bowling Match. 

Ronnie Won The First Set Easily.  The Second Set, April 7th, I Could Tell Ronnie Did Not Feel Well But He Wanted To Bowl. 

He Hated Sitting Around Waiting, Doing Nothing.  I Won The Second Set..The Match Was All Even.

The Third And Decisive Set..We Have Yet To Play..

Competitive???  Yes..I Guess We Were.  We Enjoyed Our Matches A Lot. 

I Hold “The Bill” Today..Ronnie Will Hold It Tomorrow. 

The Competitive Spirit Does Not Come 100% Naturally.  It Is Inside Of You, Waiting To Be Developed..Waiting To Grow..Waiting To Be Teamed Up With What We Call “Heart”.  Ronnie Had A Lot Of Heart. 

Ronnie’s Physical Size Spoke For Itself.  Ronnie Never Had Startup Speed,  That First Step As We Call It, But He Had Power.

I Used To Kid Him When We Worked Out That The Bigger He Got, And He Was Getting Bigger Every Year, The Slower And Bigger That First Step Was Becoming.  He Was Always Conscious Of It.

That First Step Wasn’t There.  Ronnie Compensated Using His Mind And His Heart.

Ronnie Was Blessed Throughout His Academic And Athletic Career With Some Of The Best People I Have Ever Known.  His Coaches And His Teachers. 

I Thank You All For Playing So Vital A Role In Making Ronnie The Man He Was. 

Not Just For Your Technical Teaching Of The Sport Or Subject, But For Your Friendship And Confidence In His Character.

Ronnie Truly Loved All Of You And I Feel He Was Headed In The Direction Of Teaching And Coaching..

I Think Ronnie Would Have Been A Great Coach Someday..He Loved Kids.

I Was In Awe Last Night At Calling Hours.  I Knew Ronnie Had Many Friends But I Had No Idea He Touched So Many. 

Ronnie’s Friendships And Relationships Were So Special To Him.  These Relationships Were Essentials In Ronnie’s Being…

I Can Not Touch On All Of Them..All His Friends, His Aunts, His Uncles, His Nephews, His Nieces..These Relationships Were So Special To Ronnie..

I Must Mention A Few Relationships..

In The Jones Family And The Brion Family, Grandparents Were A Vibrant And Important Part Of The Growing Up Process. 

Living In California Meant Several Trips Cross Country For Everyone.  Those Trips Provided The Time For The Family To Grow “Together”.

The Grandparents Stayed Involved.  There Was No Other Way.

Ronnie Was Blessed With Grandparents That Showed Emotion And Expressed Their Love Openly And Honestly.

Most Of All, They Were And Are Devoted To Their Grandchildren. 

Ronnie’s Character, His Personality Was Shaped By Grandma Brion, Grandma Fran, Grandpa Phil And Grandpa Brion. 

Grandpa Phil Jones Is Here Today To Provide That Testimony Of The Grandparents..A Testimony Of Their Love And Pride In Ronnie. 

I Thank Them All And I Thank You Phil With All My Love. 

Carol Has Provided Her Reflections Of Ronnie Most Vividly.  Ronnie Was Blessed With A Mother That Idolized Her Kids.   

Carol Was Steadfast To The End.  Her Energy, Her Love And Her Faith Kept Ronnie And All Of Us Going. 

Carol… I Thank You For Blessing Me With 2 Fantastic Sons. 

It Breaks My Heart To See You Going Through This, But I Know That Every Minute Of Ronnie’s Life Was Worth All The Bad Times.

A Very Special Person Came Into Ronnie’s Life When Ronnie Was In Real Need Of That Every Day Confidence Lift, That Pat On The Back, That Word Of Advice, That Special Bonding Type Of Friendship. 

I Speak Of Pete Noyes.

Pete Was There For Ronnie All The Way.  Pete Loved Ronnie Like His Own Son.  Ronnie Would Not Have Grown Into The Person We All Came To Love And Admire, Had It Not Been For Pete Noyes.

Pete..I Will Hold Your Friendship And The Love You Have For Ronnie Close To My Heart Always.  I Thank God You Were Here.

Ronnie, Pete, Carol And I Felt All Along That The Four Of Us Could Beat This Illness. 

The Positive Spirit, Unending Energy And Undying Faith Flows Like A Flood From Pete And Carol As You All Know. 

That Contagious Spirit That You Can Not Defeat. 

Well…That Spirit Was Not Defeated This Time.  Ronnie Is At Peace..

The Goal We Set Out To Reach 18 Months Ago Was To See Ronnie At Peace..That Goal Was Reached And That Spirit Lives On Stronger Than Ever.

Ronnie’s Relationship With His Brother Justin Grew Stronger Every Day.  His Faith In His Brother Was Constant. 

When Justin Called Ronnie In Rochester, We Could Not Here Justin On The Other End Of The Phone,  But We Saw The Tears Well Up And Ronnie Gave The Thumbs Up Sign. 

Whatever Was Said Hit The Mark..

Their Relationship Is Based On Love And Trust.  It Is So Special To Witness Brothers That Are Devoted To Each Other The Way Justin And Ronnie Are. 

Ronnie Was Proud Of His Brother..Very Proud.

Ronnie’s Sisters, Michelle And Jenny, Also Perked Him Up.  He Spoke Of Their Natural Beauty And Who Would Ever Believe That They Were His Sisters. 

Michelle And Jenny Brought That Tenderness To Ronnie’s Brotherly Side..The Kindness Required To Have Sisters. 

He Felt So Fortunate To Have 2 Sisters.

I Wish You All Could Have Enjoyed The Relationship That Grew Between Ronnie And Jan.

It Was A Lot Like Watching Mutt And Jeff.  Jan Was Intimidated A Bit At First When  She Greeted Ronnie. 

Ronnie Would Give Her One Of His Bear Hugs And Jan Found Herself Right About Waist High To Ronnie. 

Ronnie’s Hugs Would Envelop Her And She Disappeared Until He Let Her Go!! 

When Ronnie Came Over To The House, Jan Knew She Would Not Be Napping On The Couch..Ronnie Loved That Couch..He Took It Over.

Jan Also Knew That She Would Be Making French Onion Soup..Ronnie Loved Her Soup And Would Always Ask Me..”Think Jan Would Make Some Soup?”.

Like Pete, Jan Came To Know Ronnie And Love Him As One Of Her Own. 

Without Her Support, The Last 18 Months Would Have Been Impossible For Me To Endure. 

Some Say Jan Is A Bit On The Short Side But I Will Tell You She Is Tall On Family And Devotion.

I Thank You Jan For Being Here For Ronnie, For Me And For Our Family.

The Spiritual Growth That We All Started To See In Ronnie Over The Last Year Was Truly Amazing. 

His Questions Were Not Easy.  The Answers Were Even More Difficult.

Enter His Aunt Barb, My Sister Barb.  Barb Has The Gift To Touch People’s Lives In The Spiritual Sense, Providing That Guiding Light, That Beacon Of Hope When All Else Seems So Hopeless. 

Like Carol, The Point Is Faith..The Positive Spirit.

Ronnie Found Barb.  They Shared A Relationship That Was So Special As Some Of You Have Seen On The Website. 

Ronnie Found He Could Express His Inner Most Convictions, Loves, Fears To Barb And She Could Listen.

Then She Would Offer Her Opinion..She Could Write..Some Lengthy Letters As Ronnie And I Have Both Found Out. 

The Peace Of Mind Ronnie Was Searching For..The Answers To His Questions..He Found Them..I Thank You Barb For Being There For Ronnie.  I Love You Dearly.

Ronnie’s Years At Cornell University Were Filled With Ups And Downs..Mostly Ups. 

He Truly Cherished The Friendships Of His Classmates, His Lacrosse Teammates, Professors And His “Brothers” At Chi Psi. 

Those Years Were Filled With So Much Fun.  Some Good Times And Some Sad Times..He Spoke Of Them Often. 

He Is A Cornell Alumni And A Chi Psi Member, Forever. He Treasured His Years Here.

Ronnie’s Relationships With The Doctors And Nurses Over The Past 6 Months Were Golden.  Ronnie Developed True Friendships And He Touched The Soul Of Many.

Doctors, Nurses, Technicians Secretaries..They Loved Seeing Ronnie Come Into The Room.  They Truly Came To Know And Love Him As A Person, Not Just Another Patient.

I Know There Hearts Were Breaking As Ours Were As We All Started To Realize He Was Not Going To Survive This Illness.

Dr. Constine, Ronnie’s Radiation Doc As We Called Him,  Grew Very Close To Ronnie.  He Is A Small, Fragile Man With The Heart Of A Giant.

After The Radiation Treatments Were Completed, The Day He Told Ronnie, “Go To Florida, You Deserve It”..

Ronnie Jumped Off The Table And Shook His Hand And Gave Him One Of His Bear Hugs. 

Doc Constine Disappeared Too Until Ron Let Him Go. Ronnie Said “Thanks, Let’s Go Pops”.  That Was A Truly Great Day!!

Sense Of Humor.  Most Of You Know Of Ronnie’s Sense Of Humor..His Wanting To Make People Smile, Laugh.

Early On In His Cornell Days, I Gave Ronnie A Copy Of My Amex Card For Emergencies..

I Stressed To Him, Emergencies Only Ronnie..

I Noted A Charge For A Meal At Hooter’s On My Amex Bill..I Could Not Imagine The Emergency.  I Brought It To His Attention. 

The Meal Was $13…The Tip Was $20!!  Ronnie Said “Pops, You Had To See The Waitress”.  I Cracked Up And Moved On..

Ronnie Could Be Subtle.  After A Checkup During The Radiation Days, Doc Constine Asked Ronnie ‘How Are You?  Is There Anything Different Going On?”. 

Ronnie Said, “No…”…Then He Paused, Looked At Me And Winked....”

He Looked At The Doc And Said, “There Is One Thing, I Can Read At Night Now Without Using A Light”.

We All Cracked Up..

Another Time..During A Transfusion..The Nurse Did Not Respond To The Empty Iv Beeper Sounding For A Long Time. 

When She Finally Came In The Room..Ronnie Looked At Me, Winked.., That Sign That He Was Going To Do Some Acting..

He Said To The Nurse Real Sternly, “What Is The Problem Here, It Is Not Like We Are Trying To Cure Cancer Or Something!”... 

Then He Looked At Me, Then At The Nurse And Said, “Oh..Sorry, We Are Trying To Cure Cancer Aren’t We?” 

We All Cracked Up… 

The Day Ronnie Was Transported To Rochester For The Last Time, We Talked.  Some Of You Will Know What We Were Talking About Since You Were There. 

Ronnie And I Referred To It As The Nightmare Game..Harrisburg Vs Ithaca.

Harrisburg..Ronnie Was Sacked 27 Times. A Game We Kidded Each Other About Several Times.

I Asked Him, “This Isn’t As Bad As The 3rd Quarter Against Harrisburg Is It?”.    Ronnie Lifted His Air Mask And Said Simply, “No Way”. 

Ronnie Never Felt Like He Didn’t Have A Good Life.  He Felt Blessed For His Family And Friends.

He Had His Angry Moments.  He Sketched Some Black Angels, His Enemy Angels As We Called Them.

If Ronnie Had It To Do All Over Again, He Would Have Lived The Same Way..He Just Would Have Taken More Time.

He Wanted More..Yes..There Would Have Been So Much More..But..His Faith..That Spirit That He Cradled In Florida Last Month..Filled Him With Completeness.

He Did Not Talk About It.  I Could Sense It.

Ronnie Knew His Time Had Come..He Knew The Time Was Special. 

I Know In My Heart, That There Was An Intervention In Florida..For Ronnie To Feel..                             

He Was Given The Insight To His Future And He Did Not Waste A Minute.  He Was Truly At Peace.

In Closing, To My Son Ronzo..

Thank You For Making My Life Whole And For Loving Me.

I Will Miss You Every Minute Of My Life. 

We Will Finish That Match One Day.

I Love You…Pops

Many stories to come.  Please add your story...Chet

A brief look at Ronnie's Life..so short..but so great!!!  Love ya Ronnie..Pops