Ronald Peter Bianchini, Sr., age 88, of Somerset, NJ, passed away peacefully on Tuesday, February 6, 2024, surrounded by his most beloved family members, including his devoted wife of 62 years, Elaine Bianchini (Santoro).
On February 5, 1936, Ronald was born in the Marine Park neighborhood of Brooklyn, NY, on the family kitchen table. He was the firstborn son of the late Peter and Annette Bianchini, and brother to the late Dorothy Turano and Carol Garofalo (Frank Garofalo). Cherished and celebrated father of Ronald Bianchini, Jr. (Emily Moran), Peter Bianchini (Stella Glogover), Christine Kroening (David Kroening) and Albert Bianchini (Kyle Barisich).
Ronald was especially proud of his nine grandchildren, who always doted on their “Papa” and loved being as close to him as possible. In order of birth: Elaina Bianchini (Scott Anderson), Jonathan Bianchini, Bianca Kroening, Elizabeth Bianchini (Henry Love), Thomas Bianchini, Gianna Kroening, Emilia Bianchini, Ronald Kroening and Alanna Kroening. He considered his dogs and “granddogs” to be members of the family, too: the late Candy, Ella, Ruby, and Rufus, plus Edie and Freddie, and one great-granddog, Hank. Ron personally assisted in the birth of Candy’s 11 puppies, showing again that he was good at everything.
A brilliant engineer, he earned a Bachelor of Electrical Engineering degree from CUNY and a Master of Science degree from Columbia University. He went on to become the head of the Engineering Research Laboratory of the Courant Institute of Mathematics at New York University. He was known for being the hardware architect of the NYU Ultracomputer, a custom-built multiprocessor supercomputer. He also designed a downsized version of his department’s mainframe computer, from a full-floor to the footprint of a few rack shelves: an incredible feat for that time. His career at NYU lasted over 30 years.
Ronald will be remembered for his deep love of family, his cheerful demeanor, and for often exclaiming “I’m Batman,” to the delight of his family members. He also had a huge love for travel. He spent weeks in the summer traveling with his family. He took all of his kids to 49 states but only Albert made it to 50! He also led his family on many trips to Europe, including teaching his kids how to drive with the Italians. Alzheimer’s took much of his intellect in the end, but never his spirit or love of life.
In homage to one of his favorite movies, The Princess Bride, “Since the invention of Papas, there have been a few that were rated the most loving, the most loved. This one left them all behind.”