OLD LYME — Ronald Sheldon Houlihan, aged 83, of Homosassa, Fla., died July 6, 2022. Ron was born July 18, 1938, to the late George and Grace (Morgan) Houlihan of Old Lyme, Conn., where Ron and his four siblings grew up. After graduating from high school, Ron joined the Army. He trained as a paratrooper in the 101st Airborne Division, served in Korea, and was in the Special Forces. He was honorably discharged as a corporal in 1959.
In Old Lyme, he married and had two daughters, Cindi and Lisa, whom he loved without limit. His simple joy was to walk in the same woods he had as a boy, now with a different dog and a daughter or two.
Working for Connecticut Light & Power as a lead lineman, he served his union, the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, as the business manager of Local 1175, and charter member then president of Local 457. He served his hometown on its Democratic Town Committee and its Conservation Commission.
After 30 years with CL&P, he retired to Homosassa, Fla., with his partner, Sheryl Williams. Ron was a life member of the 101st Airborne Division Association and of the VFW, serving two terms as commander of Post 8189. He also belonged to AmVets, American Legion Post 155, and Moose Lodge 2013. He enjoyed golf, especially a hole-in-one that might have been his proudest non-paternal moment; hunting deer and pheasant; reading westerns and military history; and maintaining his Irish in drink and temper. He was proud to keep his yard precisely mowed and his vehicles pristine. You could eat off his lawn, but not in his car.
His brother George of Westbrook, sisters Millie Jackson and Joyce Grisky of Old Lyme, and daughter Cynthia (Cindi) Houlihan of Norwich predeceased him. He is survived by Sheryl, his devoted companion of more than 30 years; daughter Lisa Houlihan (Richard Caccavale) of Denver, CO; sister Faye Hubble of Naples, FL; sister-in-law Norma Houlihan of Punta Gorda, FL; and many nieces and nephews.
VFW 8189 at 8856 W. Veterans Drive, Homosassa, will host a memorial service with a military salute on July 23 at 2 p.m. Ron’s ashes will be interred in Bushnell National Cemetery.