Ronald William Belay

Ronald William Belay went to be with the Lord on September 22, 2026. Ron was born on February 6, 1945 to Olga and Joseph Belay. He grew up in Arlington, VA and moved to Blacksburg to attend Virginia Polytechnic Institute, graduating in 1967. Ron spent the entirety of his 50 year career in the Virginia Department of Juvenile Justice, retiring from the position of Director of the 29th District Court Service Unit. He served with distinction in and out of the office in many capacities at district and state levels, including 30 continuous years in leadership roles in the Virginia Juvenile Justice Association. Outside of work, Ron was a skiing and motorcycle enthusiast. He loved to teach skiing and spent many seasons as a ski instructor at Winterplace in West Virginia and Beaver Creek in Colorado. He loved to ride along the Blue Ridge mountains in his Harley-Davidson motorcycle. Above all else, Ron was a devoted husband, a proud father and grandfather -- and an avid fan of Hokie football. Ron was preceded in death by his parents and his sister Marilyn. He is survived by his loving wife of 23 years Elaine S. Belay; sons Bryan Belay and Matthew Belay (Nancy); stepsons Ryan Price (Alexia), Ben Price (Sarah), and Justin Yeoman-Price (Kaitie). He also is survived by eight grandchildren: Brennyn, Ishmael, Eli, Tommy, Andy, Brooke, Brodie, and Rudy. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorials be made to the Alzheimer’s Association (www.alz.org) or the Luther Memorial Lutheran Church on Price's Fork Road in Blacksburg, VA. Memorial service will be conducted at 2:00 pm Sunday, October 11, 2026 in the McCoy Funeral Home Chapel.