Ronald Paul Lovell

Beloved emeritus journalism professor, mystery writer, devoted son, friend and mentor Ronald P. “Ron” Lovell died peacefully in his Gleneden Beach home on Wednesday, March 26, 2025 in the company of close friends. He was 87. During an Oregon State University career that lasted nearly 25 years, he helped launch the careers of dozens of notable journalists. Among them was Chris Johns, a 1974 OSU graduate who would become the first photojournalist to be editor-in-chief of National Geographic magazine. Ron was born in 1937 in Colorado Springs, Colorado to Verna Bickerton Lovell and Paul Lovell. He enjoyed a happy time as an only child in Colorado and in Southern California, and went on to graduate from UCLA. He served as a clerk in the Army and then began a journalism career that included stints as Denver bureau chief for Business Week and senior writer for Medical World News in New York City. He joined the OSU faculty in 1971 and retired in 1995. In his retirement years on the coast, he volunteered teaching English for Oceana Family Literacy and wrote two series of mystery books featuring private investigators Thomas Martindale (a former journalism professor at a college resembling Oregon State) and Lorenzo Madrid cracking cases in settings that centered in Western Oregon and – most commonly – the Oregon Coast. Although he also authored several textbooks, mystery writing was his favorite. “The coast lends itself to creativity, ” he told Erin Dietrich of The News Guard in a 2016 interview. “It's a good place to set a mystery because you've got coves, caves, lighthouses, all kinds of places to put your characters in danger.” He bought his house in Gleneden Beach in 1997 and settled there with his mother, father and grandmother. After they passed, he lived there alone for the rest of his life, enjoying frequent meals out with friends, writing and marketing his novels and leading workshops to teach other writers how to successfully self-publish. Among his survivors are several cousins in Colorado Springs, including Edwin “Eddie” Lawrence, his wife Holly Lawrence, their daughters Arwin and Aria, and Eddie’s brother, Richard “Rick” Lawrence. When he knew the end was near, Ron wanted nothing more than to spend his final days at home, and his friends and family are grateful for the compassionate care provided by Signature Health Hospice and by Aging Wisely with Heartfelt Hands. He has been laid to rest next to his parents at Oak Lawn Memorial Park in Corvallis, with De Moss-Durdan Funeral Home handling arrangements. A memorial celebration will be held on Saturday, May 10, 2025, at 1:00 p.m. at the First Congregational Church, 2435 NW Oar Place in Lincoln City, OR 97367. Memorial contributions may be made as gifts in Ron’s name to the Oregon State University Foundation, 4238 SW Research Way, Corvallis OR 97333.

Ronald Paul Lovell

August 11, 1937 - March 26, 2025