Ronald DeWitt Carlston was born on July 18, 1934, in Richmond, California to Wilbard DeWitt Carlston and Opal “Dolly” Carlston (née Goree).

Growing up in Richmond during the Great Depression, Ron learned many skills from his parents that shaped his life in countless ways.  His work ethic was formed at an early age as he earned his first income raising chickens at home, harvesting walnuts on the Knox property in Danville, and carrying papers in El Sobrante.  He used both the money and discipline earned to afford drumming lessons and eventually his prized Slingerland drum set.

He began his career in 1952, after graduating from Richmond High School, in the parts department of Western Traction Company, a heavy construction equipment firm in San Francisco.  From parts, Ron moved up to the service department, where he learned to both service and operate various types of equipment.  His excellence in service earned Ron an opportunity to enter the sales department in his twenties.

After 24 years spent mastering all aspects of both the company and the construction equipment industry, Ron became owner and President of Western Traction in 1976.  Ron moved the company to Hayward, and then finally to a new headquarters in Union City in 1979.  Under his guidance, Western Traction grew and expanded to three locations in California, with branches in Nevada and Hawaii, eventually becoming the largest independent equipment distributor on the West Coast.

Having reached the pinnacle of his industry, Ron sold Western Traction Company in 1998 and settled in to enjoy a long and comfortable retirement.

Retirement, however, didn’t last long.  In 2002, Ron created Western Machinery LLC outside of Honolulu, and quickly grew that business to locations on the islands of Kona and Maui.  In 2010, Ron finally decided that retirement was for him and sold Western Machinery.

Ron was an icon in the construction equipment industry – drawing on his vast breadth of knowledge in equipment operation and maintenance, as well as his keen sense of the needs of his customers, to help manufacturers redesign products, pioneer new products in the marketplace, and grow his company’s influence through his relentless work ethic and sheer charisma.

In all of his successes in life, Ron’s wife, family, and friends reigned supreme, always having his ear, his time, and his loving embrace.  Ron found time to enjoy many things, including travel, baseball, WWII history, western movies, landscape design, planning the next meal out, and Crown Royal on the rocks.  His Norwegian heritage was also a source of great pride.

Ron was known for his fearlessness in the face of adversity, his generosity to those in need, and his impeccable sense of honor.

Ron is survived by his loving wife Nancy Lee Carlston; his sister Barbara Rutledge; five children (Pamela Carlston, Susan Justice, Ron Carlston, Jr., Julia O’Neill, & Jeanne Marie Kaplan), eleven adoring grandchildren, and a large extended family.

Ron died Friday August 19, 2011, from complications following surgery at John Muir Medical Center in Walnut Creek.  He was loved by all who knew him, and respected by all who met him.  His warmth, wisdom, and wit will be sorely missed.