Ron Episcopo still remembers what it was like having 100 people over for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter growing up.
“I could just remember dreading it: I was in college; I wanted to come home and it be quiet. We’d have 100 people there all day,” he recalled.
Ron grew up in what he calls a “hardworking, traditional Italian family” in Wilmington, Delaware. According to Ron, he “walked on water” because he was the first son of a first son of a first son–he’d beg his grandmother to stop saying that she loved all her grandchildren, but he was her favorite. His father worked for General Motors, while his mother worked as a cook for a school.
“She was a great cook; nobody now could cook for 100 people,” said Ron, who wishes younger generations of his family could experience those gatherings he once dreaded.
Ron was the first in his family to attend college, enrolling at Allentown College of Saint Francis de Sales, now DeSales University. It was at this point that he dropped a bombshell on his parents when he told them he wanted to study art.
“They never said I couldn’t do it, but they certainly made that road difficult,” Ron said.
Sensing his parents were unhappy, Ron ultimately switched majors, but his passion for art has persisted. Upon retiring nine years ago, he began painting and pursuing art full-time. Part of what drew Ron to Jacksonville was its art scene: He has been involved with the city’s art museums and firmly believes in the power of local artists.
“All artists were local artists at some point,” Ron likes to say.
Ron’s winding career path began as a teacher in New Jersey, a job he said he took, in part, to avoid the Vietnam draft. After several years of barely paying his rent while his friends bought nice cars, Ron went to work at Chemical Bank on Water Street in New York City. From there, Ron took a job with Blockbuster during a period of explosive growth for the company. He finally landed at LexisNexis, where he spent more than half of his career.
The search for a new home that would ultimately land Ron in Jacksonville took him across the country. At the time, Ron was living with his then-husband in Pompano Beach. Seeking a new place to live and a new adventure, the two traveled coast to coast looking for somewhere they could both agree on.
Ron loved Palm Springs, but his husband couldn’t stand it. They both enjoyed Chicago but knew they couldn’t endure its brutal winters.
“We really did look around the country, and when we got back to Pompano, I was kind of disappointed we hadn’t found anything we could both agree upon,” Ron said.
That’s when Ron realized the answer was not all that far away. He’d always loved visiting Jacksonville on business during his time as a sales rep for Lexis Nexis. After visiting town together and staying at the Riverdale Inn, Ron and his husband agreed to move to Jacksonville.
“People were so nice and gracious and encouraged us to move,” Ron said.
After much searching, they eventually found a 120-year-old rustic stone house to call home. According to author and historian Wayne Wood, the home is one of just five of its kind remaining locally.
“It was beautifully designed,” Ron said. “We loved and restored that house.”
For Ron and his husband, the home became the site of grand celebrations and gatherings. There was the annual Christmas party, which hosted more than 100 people, and extravagantly decorated Halloween nights that saw nearly 500 trick-or-treaters. It even hosted a “doggy wedding” complete with guests, vows, and a fire hydrant cake to raise funds for First Coast No More Homeless Pets.
Now that he’s retired, Ron enjoys being able to pursue his passions and immerse himself in the community he loves. In addition to his involvement in Jacksonville’s local art scene, he has been involved in the Jacksonville Area Sexual Minority Youth Network (JASMYN) and Equality Florida.
