Ronald B. Singleton

Framingham - Dr. Ronald B. Singleton formerly of Newton died peacefully on February 9, 2012 surrounded by his family at 82 years of age.

Dr. Ronald B. Singleton was born on January 1, 1930. He grew up in Cambridge and was the son of Severlin B. and Winifred (Martin) Singleton and was the middle child born of this union. His oldest brother being Severlin (deceased), followed by Eugene (deceased), Ronald, then Jacqueline with the youngest being Diana (deceased) – his only surviving sibling is Jacqueline Scott of Cambridge.

Ronald is also survived by Alfaretta (Allie) Singleton of Newton to whom he was married to for 35 years; his daughter Carolyn Singleton-Nwanagu, her husband David of San Diego and their her sons, Jared and Justin; pre-deceased by his son Peter E. Singleton; and survived by a large extended family.

He graduated from Cambridge Ridge and Latin High School where he was an avid basketball player with the nickname "Swish" for the sound the basketball makes when going in the hoop – his grandson's have always thought this was quite a "cool" nickname. He then attended Northeastern University for his undergraduate degree and pursued his interest in dentistry at Tufts Dental School and upon graduation was inducted in the U.S. Army and served much of his time in Germany. He was honorably discharged as a Captain at Fort Dixon in New Jersey on July 5, 1956.

Ronald was a family practice dentist in Ashland serving that community for close to 50 years with many extended families who had been with him since the beginning of his practice. He was a faculty member of the Department of Oral Medicine and Diagnostic Sciences at Harvard School of Dental Medicine and a member of the Board of Trustees at the Mass. College of Pharmacy for numerous years.

Ronald may have been a private man in the office but he truly enjoyed spending time with his extended family. He particularly enjoyed spending time with his brother Eugene and his family on Nantucket Island bringing his mother Winifred (Mum), Allie, Carolyn and Peter with the station wagon filled to the brim with items to make the vacation special – he enjoyed riding his bike and taking walks on the cobblestoned streets and the family reunions on the island with family members who played Cape Verdean music.

On Sundays, his entire family would congregate at Mum's house in Cambridge for Sunday dinner enjoying her fried chicken, greens, "mac and cheese", Moxie and her special white cake with Jell-O and whipped cream layers and whipped cream icing while talking to Mum about her antique collections – he truly enjoyed spending time laughing and joking with family members.

In many ways Ronald was a "Renaissance Man" who enjoyed literature, poetry, art, and all types of music. Ronald was a devoted chess player and belonged to a Chess Club in the Newton/Wellesley area. He also enjoyed playing poker with family friends and other relatives at his home in Newton (Waban) and his children learned at an early age not to give away his hand even though they didn't quite know what that meant. As the Patriarch of the Singleton family, Ronald will be sorely missed by his entire family.

Family and friends will honor and remember Ronald's life by gathering on Thursday morning, February 16th, in The Joyce Funeral Home, 245 Main Street (Rte. 20), Waltham where his memorial service will be held at 10 a.m. Burial will be private.