Dear Sangha Friends,
Ronnie Lucotch, born 8/29/1948, died 12 AM Friday morning. Ronnie was born in Bellevue, Washington, just outside Seattle. He was the oldest of three children. His sister, Deborah, and his brother, David, visited Ronnie in his last few months and Deborah and her husband Bill are here now.
Ronnie graduated from high school and worked in Bellevue for two years before moving to Austin, Texas where he joined a yoga group that soon turned into a meditation center after Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche visited. With several sangha friends, he started a painting business and developed into a skilled painting contractor for the rest of his life. Ronnie left Austin, Texas, and moved to Atlanta, Georgia, and helped form the dharma center there, the Atlanta Dharmadhatu. He also traveled widely, meeting the 16th Karmapa Rangjung Rigpe Dorje in Chicago and Boulder as well as Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche and Kalu Rinpoche.
Most importantly, he became a student of Trungpa Rinpoche and Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche and took Refuge, Bodhisattva, and Vajrayana vows. Ronnie spent years working on The Great Stupa of Dharmakaya at Shambhala Mountain Center. He also did a number of cabin retreats at the mountain center and staffed many group Retreats and dathuns with Richard John Kinane, Dan Hessey, and many other Acharyas.
In 2013, Ronnie was hired by Shambhala Mountain Center to paint many of the old buildings and the interior rooms. He also volunteered to work in Practice and Education and was pivotal in the preparations for the very large group retreats: Seminary, Scorpion Seal, Warrior Assembly, and Enlightened Society Assembly. Ronnie entered into the Dorje Kasung path and service which he enjoyed
greatly. Ronnie spent a number of years supporting Lady Konchuk and Lama Pagyel at Marpa House in Boulder. He was very devoted to serving them.
In the latter part of his life, Ronnie lived in Boulder and Denver. His friends and sangha friends knew him as very generous, and kind, with a strong willingness to help and support anyone who needed help.
It’s with great joy and sadness to reflect on Ronnie’s life now that there’s a gap, for him and us, “a strange mixture of sadness and joy” as Trungpa Rinpoche used to say.
May the dharma flourish and grow and may we all accumulate merit and wisdom overcoming all obstacles!
