Ronald Theodore Lauts

Ronald Theodore Lauts (Ted) was born in Neligh, Nebraska on April 8, 1932 to Dr. Albert Earnest Lauts and Helen Gertrude (Turnbull) Lauts.

After graduating from Stapleton High School he enrolled at Hastings College in Nebraska, but after a brief couple of years was drafted into the Army where he received his first dose of training in electronics and learned about the systems used in guided missiles and anti-aircraft weaponry. He received an honorable discharge and earned the National Defense Service Medal.

Upon the completion of his tour, Ted attended the University of Nebraska in Lincoln thanks to GI education benefits that were offered at the time, but after the first year, was sidetracked by photography and decided to leave the university. Not wanting his Army education in electronics go to waste, he decided to pursue further education in the field of electronics enrolling in and completing a course in Electrical Engineering through a correspondence school.

Immediately following the completion of his course, he was hired by RCA and shortly found himself assigned to work on a contract in the Philippines with the US Air Force at Clark Air Base. It was during this time, on one of his early trips to Manila, he met the girl who was to be his wife.

Ted and Diana were married by a justice of the peace in the Pasay City Municipal Court on October 17th, 1959 and he adopted her two children on the same day. As his responsibilities in the Philippines neared an end, he sent Diana and her two children, Cynthia Grace and Leslie Johnathan, back to Nebraska to live with his parents until he could join them two weeks later.

His career exposed him to highly classified projects related to Naval Air Defense and opened opportunities to live in many places around the country. They moved to Missouri, Florida, Massachusetts, Nebraska, and Pennsylvania. During his employment, RCA was purchased by GE which was purchased by Martin Marietta which was purchased by Lockheed Martin, before he finally retired in 1997 after working with the same department after nearly 40 years.

After an exhaustive investigation of many different Christian faiths, Ted and Diana were impressed by the message shared by two RCA co-workers and later, missionaries from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and despite his love affair with no-filter Camel cigarettes, he quit smoking “cold turkey” and on April 7, 1962, the family was baptized. Ted and Diana were Sealed together for time and eternity in the Salt Lake Temple on July 23rd, 1963.

In time, the family grew, adding six additional children: Roanna Marie, Albert Leland, Helen Kay, Wences Robin, Anthony Nephi, and Jeffrey Dean.

Ted and Diana moved to Texas in 2007 to get away from the snow and ice of harsh Pennsylvania winters. After some health issues, the family moved them to Washington where they stayed with their son, Tony and his wife, Mo, but their hearts stayed behind in Texas. Finally, they moved back to Taylor, Texas where Ted’s mortal journey came to an end on January 8, 2025.

Ted was preceded in death by his sister Geraldine, his father Albert, his mother Helen, his brother, Donald, and his daughter Cynthia.

He is fondly remembered by Diana (Taylor, TX), Leslie (Trenton, NJ), Roanna (Los Angeles, CA), Albert and Annette (Salem, UT), Helen and Bob (Green) (Macon, GA), Wences and Kirsten (Los Angeles, CA), Anthony and Eleonor (Mo) (Maple Valley, WA), and Jeffrey (Granger, TX), Thirteen grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren.

Livestream to the service below,

https://zoom.us/j/94891071114