For seven generations and counting — more than 130 years — the Ronstadt family has helped shape the Old Pueblo, and the Pima Council on Aging will celebrate that commitment to community at the Generations Gala on Saturday at the Westin La Paloma Resort & Spa.
“Many members of the family have participated in community activities and have been community-minded politically, and a number of generations, including the current generations, have worked on projects and programs that have benefited the community through public safety, city and county government and business,” said Armand Martin “Marty” Ronstadt, 89, a retired pharmacist and grandson of Ricardo Redondo “Dick” Ronstadt, one of four original Ronstadt siblings who were Tucson pioneers during the 1880s.
“The family has grown along with the community,” Marty said.
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The Ronstadt children arrived in Tucson from Mexico at the time the railroad brought burgeoning growth; the two elder boys, both of whom were musicians, held jobs on the railroad and in wagon-making before owning ranches and businesses — drugstores, hardware stores, and other ventures.
The youngest, Joseph or “Pepe,” was Tucson postmaster and was active in county politics. The boys’ sister, Emilia, married Jesus Maria Zepeda and had four children who grew up in a home on Sixth Avenue and a large ranch in Sasabe.
The roots of the family tree have continued to spread in the past century: Marty said that a 1993 clan gathering at Fort Lowell Park numbered about 200 and the family has grown significantly since then.
He credits pop musician Linda Ronstadt with garnering international recognition, but said that over the years Ronstadt also became a household name here through accomplishments of those such as former police chief Peter; 1997-2005 City Councilman Fred; James, who was Tucson Parks and Recreation director; and others who worked in business, education, health care and the arts.
The family is also well-represented in local charities and various nonprofit groups, says Agnes Poore, whose grandfather, Federico or “Fred,” was the eldest sibling of the Ronstadt pioneers and founded Tucson’s first municipal orchestra (Club Filarmonico).
Anyone can instill such a legacy in their own family “by just making a commitment to make the world a better place for everyone,” said Poore, co-owner of Casa de la Luz Hospice and a member of the Pima Council on Aging board of directors.
Poore and Marty hope that the family’s support of PCOA will help boost public awareness and raise money for the nonprofit’s programs. Its wide range of services include Pima Meals on Wheels, which last year provided more than 204,500 individual meals for more than 1,390 homebound and isolated seniors.
Other programs include Home Repair and Adaptation for low-income seniors; Elder Rights and Benefits, which offers advocacy and counseling; and case management and in-home support. It also provides adult day care and respite for people caring for a loved one, among many other services and classes. PCOA director of marketing and public relations Adina Wingate said the goal of independence is particularly relevant since 1 in 4 Arizona residents will be over age 60 by the year 2020.
“We think Tucson is a great place to grow up and grow old and that is part of the ethic we try to foster,” Wingate said.
It is an ethic that resonates with the Ronstadt clan.
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