Ronald B. Durning

Ronald B. Durning, formerly of Scarsdale, died peacefully on March 5.

Born in New Orleans, Louisiana, on Dec. 22, 1926, the older of two children of Cecelia Bresler and Alvin C. Durning, he attended Isadore Newman High School in New Orleans. Later, he attended the U.S. Naval Academy and received a degree from Tulane University.

In his career Mr. Durning had various leadership roles and entrepreneurial ventures, including two Scarsdale restaurants, The Frog Prince Proper and Chase Landing. He was a creative and charismatic leader with many interests, his family said, and he dressed impeccably and was always the gentleman. According to his family, he was a lifelong reader and a New York Times crossword puzzle solver and had a great sense of humor; it seemed he could remember every joke ever told to him — but was known to burst into laughter before delivering the punch line.

He also flew on the Concorde and traveled to all 50 states and many places around the world.

In 1950, he married Doris Charbonnet, also of New Orleans, and moved to Scarsdale in 1953. He and Doris had 10 children. His children said they were proud that he was their father, as he was “a cut above the rest.”

He was a sentimental father and husband, they said, who always warmly greeted his family and was easily brought to tears reciting a poem or reading one of his own.

In 1974, Doris, his wife of nearly 25 years, died. He married Judy Edge, also of Scarsdale. They were married for 14 years. In 1998, he married Sylvia Stewart. They had known each other since 1956. Since marrying 25 years ago, Ron and Sylvia spent almost every day together and they were married until the time of his death.

Mr. Durning’s greatest legacy and source of happiness came from his children and grandchildren, perhaps, they surmised, because of, or in spite of, having so many of them. Doris and Ron had 10 and eventually 18 grandchildren. Ron and Sylvia had one child and a grandchild for a total of 19.

Mr. Durning is survived by his wife, Sylvia, and children Ronald Jr., Michael, Steven, Diane (Wolinsky), Quentin, Christopher, David, John, Heidi (Harris), and Jennifer; 19 grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his brother, Marvin B. Durning in 2013, his daughter, Cynthia in 1977 and his granddaughter, Emily Durning in 2017.