Dr. Ronald Joseph Edmiston

Ronald Joseph Edmiston, known lovingly by his family and friends as Ronnie, Doc or Pops, was called home to heaven on Thursday, April 13, 2023 surrounded by his family.

Ronnie was born on March 19, 1949 in Shreveport, Louisiana. He was a proud graduate of Fair Park High School class of 1967, where he was voted Best Personality— one of his biggest claims to fame.

After high school, Ronnie attended LSUS and graduated from Louisiana Tech University before attending the LSU School of Dentistry in New Orleans.

Ronnie returned to Shreveport and met the love of his life— Tina. Together, with the help of his sister, Linda, they built a thriving dental practice, which focused on providing the best quality dental care and building relationships with patients and other local dentists.

Ronnie was a proud member of the Shreveport community and served as the Treasurer of Shreveport Country Club, where he discovered his passion for golf. He later joined Southern Trace Country Club and enjoyed weekly golf games and tournaments with friends. He also served as the Program Director of the Ark La Tex Academy of Dentistry for many years, and he was an active member of the Shreveport & Louisiana Dental Associations.

Ronnie cherished the time he had with his MasterMind Study Club. They met monthly for continuing education and camaraderie. He thoroughly enjoyed his yearly Pheasant Hunting Trips to South Dakota with his closest friends and looked forward to the memories they would make.

Ronnie was an avid sports fan his entire life, and proudly attended his daughters extracurricular activities and sporting events, as well as coaching Kristen’s softball team.

Ronnie was diagnosed with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis in 2005 and received a life-saving bilateral lung transplant thanks to his heroic anonymous donor in August 2009 at UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, Texas. He also courageously fought Parkinson’s Disease for many years despite the adverse obstacles he faced from this disease. He battled these two life threatening diseases with strong faith, perseverance and a positive attitude.

Ronnie was preceded in death by his parents, Howard and Marie Edmiston; brother, John Howard Edmiston; sister, Julia Alexander; many beloved aunts and uncles and his dear friend, Dr. Montie Dalton.

Ronnie is survived by his loving wife of 41 years, Tina Casten Edmiston; their daughters, Rachael Edmiston and fiancé, Matthew Moseley and Kristen Edmiston Tarrance and wife, Morgan Tarrance; granddaughter, Murphy Lee Tarrance; sister, Linda Edmiston Strickland and wife, Debbie Strickland; childhood best friend, Shep Akins, as well as many nieces, nephews, cousins, friends and extended family.

Ronnie’s greatest joy in life was his girls— his wife, daughters, and granddaughter— and he spent many years making memories with them on family vacations, boating and fishing on Cross Lake, watching LSU baseball and football games, and spending summers together on the golf course.

Ronnie’s quick-witted sense of humor and empathetic nature made him an absolute joy to be around. He (and his hilarious commentary) will be truly missed by everyone who knew and loved him.

In the words of his daughter, “a light as bright as his never dims— not even with death. And he’s never really gone because he’s with us always.”

The family would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to his wonderful caretaker and friend, Kimberly Greer, his medical care team at UT Southwestern Medical Center, his transplant team and transplant nurse/coordinator of 13 years, Marcie Buford, and the MICU team on 8 Blue at Clements Hospital for their compassionate care.

To celebrate his legacy, the family suggests memorials may be made to the Louisiana Organ Procurement Agency (LOPA) in honor of Ronnie’s lung donor. In his memory, please register to be an organ donor by visiting the National Donate Life Registry at https://www.registerme.org/. Together we can help save more lives. Thanks to his donor’s selfless gift of life, we were able to enjoy the best 13+ bonus years with our favorite guy.

Funeral services for Ronnie will be held at 2:00 p.m. Friday, April 21, 2023 at St. George Greek Orthodox Church, 1719 Creswell Ave., Shreveport, Louisiana. A visitation will be held on Thursday, April 20, 2023 at Rose-Neath Funeral Home, 1815 Marshall St., Shreveport, Louisiana from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Burial will be held at Greenwood Cemetery in Shreveport, Louisiana. Officiating the service will be Father Daniel Bethancourt.