Obituaries

Ronald James Oblinger was born on June 15, 1957, in Elyria, Ohio, to Helen and Ronald Oblinger. He passed away on September 22, 2026, in Novi, Michigan.

The oldest son of five children, Ron was deeply intelligent, endlessly curious, opinionated, and very funny, with a wonderfully dry and irreverent sense of humor.

Ron was fascinated by space and an avid Ohio State Buckeyes fan. He began his career working for the government after high school, later worked in security in Detroit, and eventually ran his own investigations business for many years.

Ron loved his family deeply. He is survived by his daughters, Vanessa Santos and Katarina Trudell; Vanessa’s husband, Steven Santos, and their sons, Eden and Tommy; Katarina’s husband, Alex Trudell, and their daughters, April and Jackie; his former wife, Kristine Oblinger; and his siblings and their spouses, Diane and Cedric Krukowski, Mark and Janet Oblinger, Lisa and Lauren Hastings, and Scott and Janet Oblinger.

He will be deeply missed by those who knew and loved him.