Regis Mourns Ron Ferreri '62, former Director of Development and Vice President for Advancement

Above: John-Werwaiss ’60, former chair of the board of trustees, (left) presenting the Deo et Patriae Award to Ron Ferreri ’62 (right) at the 2004 Deo et Patriae reception.

Ron Ferreri ’62, former Director of Development and Vice President for Advancement, passed away on April 20 at the age of 73, following a brief battle with pancreatic cancer.

A 1962 graduate of Regis, Ron returned to the school in the fall of 1983 to lead the Office of Development, a role he would serve in for 19 years, retiring at the end of the 2002 academic year. Prior to joining the Regis staff, Ron taught secondary school in Monroe, CT and as an adjunct professor at Western Connecticut University. He earned his undergraduate degree from the College of the Holy Cross and a master’s degree in History from the University of Connecticut.

Ron dedicated his fundraising career to education. During his tenure at Regis, Ron served on the Xavier High School development committee, the Dominican Academy board of trustees, and the development committee of the Jesuit Seminary and Mission Bureau. He also devoted himself to the development conference of the Jesuit Secondary Education Association (now the Jesuit Schools Network) which he served as both national and regional chairman. He initiated a conference of alumni and development professionals in local Jesuit high schools and in 1991 he became a member of the executive council of the World Union of Jesuit Alumni. He concluded his career as Vice President for Development and College Relations at Spring Hill College.

Despite formally retiring to Naples, FL with his wife, Pat, in 2004, Ron remained an active member of the Regis alumni community. He served for a number of years as a class correspondent for the class of 1962 and, in 2012, helped organize his class’s 50th reunion. That effort included his leadership in a class fundraising effort for a Named Scholarship to the school, raising more than $367,000 which at the time set a record for a class reunion gift. Ron received the Deo et Patriae award in 2004 for his decades of service to Regis.

“I met Ron years ago, long before I came to Regis. I was impressed with his dedication and commitment to both Regis and Jesuit education,” said Fr. Daniel K. Lahart, SJ, president of Regis. “We got together last year in Florida, and his enthusiasm for his alma mater had not dimmed at all. He always was willing to be a resource for me, and was a great help. He will be missed by generations of Regians, and we all owe him a debt of gratitude.”

Services are being planned in the Naples, FL area, and a memorial service at Regis will be scheduled in June. Please remember the Ferreri family in your thoughts and prayers.

UPDATE: A memorial Mass will take place at Regis High School on June 16, 2018 at 11:00 a.m. Rev. Kenneth J. Gavin, SJ '62 will preside.

Above: (Left) Ron Ferreri’s 1962 yearbook portrait. (Right) Ron along with the class of 1962, present a check to Regis on the occasion of their 50th class reunion.