He is survived by his father, Ronald E. LaFreniere, and mother, Jeanne (Casey) LaFreniere, of Marlborough; his sister Janice Reid and her husband Andre of Grafton; and his brother, Timothy LaFreniere of Marlborough. Ron’s younger brother, Donald, had long predeceased him in 1976. Ron leaves behind three children:, Amy LaFreniere and her fiancé Craig Vinciguerra, Christopher LaFreniere and his longtime girlfriend Avery Pesce, and his youngest daughter, Maeve LaFreniere, all of Marlborough. He was blessed with his cherished grandson, Casey Vinciguerra and his loving partner Priscilla Ryder.
Ron was born and raised in Marlborough and remained a lifelong resident. He graduated from Marlborough High School in 1970 and from WPI in 1974 where he earned his civil engineering degree and later a professional engineering license.
Straight out of college in 1974 he began his career with the City of Marlborough as a junior civil engineer and held that position until 1979 when he was appointed City Engineer – the youngest City Engineer in the country at the time. After 20 years, he was appointed Commissioner of the Department of Public Works in 1999 until his retirement in 2014.
Ron sincerely loved Marlborough and his job; he thoroughly enjoyed and took great pride in his work for the city. Some of his project highlights included the construction of Ghiloni Park, the upgrades of the two wastewater treatment plants, roadway reconstruction projects, the Assabet River Rail Trail, the Solomon Pond Mall project, and the I-495 interchange.
He was a passionate and avid runner. He was the captain of his high school track and cross country teams and was awarded a running scholarship from WPI. He ran the Boston Marathon numerous times, running a personal best at 2 hours 36 minutes.
Music, hiking, camping, concerts, throwing darts, biking, playing golf, walking in the woods, and working in his garden all made up his full life, but, above all, he loved spending time with his family, and in the last two years his grandson Casey brought him tremendous joy.
Calling hours will be held Thursday, Aug. 25, from 4-8 p.m., at the Slattery Funeral Home, 40 Pleasant St., Marlborough. A memorial service will be held Friday, Aug. 26, from 5-7 p.m., at the Marlborough Country Club, 200 Concord Rd., Marlborough. We aim to celebrate Ron’s life with stories, memories, and anecdotes shared by attendees. A private graveside service for family will be held at a later date.
In lieu of flowers, please send donations to the Leukemia Research Fund at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, PO Box 849168, Boston, MA 02284.
