Ronald Allen Kronowitz

Ronald Allen Kronowitz, a resident of Savannah, Georgia, New York City, and Budapest, Hungary, passed away while in Budapest on Tuesday, January 17, 2017. ??Ronnie was well known in each of his adopted homes for his free spirit and commitment to living life to the fullest in his unique way, his intellectual curiosity, and his love of friends and family, in particular his five grandchildren. ????He was born in Chicago, Illinois and grew up in Coral Gables, Florida.?? He was a graduate of Miami Beach High School, Emory University, and Emory Law School.?? After graduation, Ronnie moved with his wife, Bailee Tenenbaum Kronowitz, and their infant daughter to Washington, DC to work in the Kennedy Administration; their son was born there.?? The family moved to Savannah, Georgia in 1967, and Ronnie worked at Chatham Steel Corporation as a part of the Executive Team, running lines of business and was in-house counsel for nearly 40 years.?? He was a committed and active member of the Savannah philanthropic community, serving in leadership positions in many organizations within the Jewish, civic, and arts communities, including as President of the Savannah Jewish Federation and President of the Savannah Little Theatre and a founding member of the Savannah Business Group.?? He was devoted to his wife Bailee of fifty-one years and adopted her beloved hometown of Savannah as his own.?? Together, they were founding supporters of Savannah on Stage, the precursor to the Savannah Music Festival.



In recent years, Ronnie was always on the go.?? Always.?? And he always created community and an extended 'family' wherever he went.?? He loved Taos, New Mexico where he spent many happy weeks at his home and on the slopes with his son.?? In later years, two of his grandchildren spent every spring break with him there, skiing and eating and enjoying each other's company.?? He loved New York City, and he would move to his home there for weeks at a time, wandering the city, eating wonderful meals and attending a musical or theatrical performance almost every day. For more than a decade, Ronnie and Bailee were active and beloved members of the Watergate complex community in Washington DC, where they spent time with their two Washington, DC-based grandchildren and their daughter and son-in-law.?? For the past six years, Ronnie spent nearly half of every year in Budapest, Hungary, where he loved the music, the food, and the people. ??Amidst his constant travels Ronnie's true North was Savannah, where he particularly relished time spent with his three grandchildren, his son and daughter-in-law, and his many friends and family.



Ronnie was a widower.?? He is survived by his children Rachel and Lowell and their spouses Mark and Hilary, his brother Kenneth and his wife Bunny, and his sister Cheryl and her husband Lee. The lights of his life were his five grandchildren: Daniel, Jack, Peter, Tessa, and Amanda.?? In lieu of flowers, remembrances can be sent to the American Civil Liberties Union and The Savannah Music Festival.



Funeral services will be held graveside at Bonaventure Cemetery at noon on Monday, January 23.



The family will be sitting Shivah at 300 Bull Street, apartment # 703 from 2-5 pm and 7-8:30 pm on Monday January 23 and Tuesday January 24.