Ron Condrey

 

Ron Condrey was a recently retired veteran of the US Navy from Salisbury, NC, finishing his career as a Master Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) technician and Master Naval Parachutist in 2017. He dedicated himself on countless occasions over 14 deployments, conducting missions around the world in direct support of the Global War on Terrorism. His actions were recognized by numerous meritorious commendations, and for Valor. Throughout his 25 years of military service, Ron sustained a variety of injuries during combat and training, the most harsh of which included a variety of Traumatic Brain Injuries (helicopter crash, Humvee rollover, a fall down a mountain, and repeated blast exposures) and extensive orthopedic injuries, all of which posed significant challenges both during his career and as he made the transition through retirement to find new purpose in the civilian world.

A true warrior whose passion was to serve his country and inspire others, he found purpose outside the military by honoring and supporting our country’s military men, women, and families through his passions of skydiving, athletics, and the outdoors. He captained the Navy’s Warrior Games team and volunteered with Combat Wounded Coalition, Spike’s K9 fund, Navy SEAL Foundation, and Blue Skies for The Good Guys and Gals Warrior Foundation. After retiring from the Navy, Ron and his wife joined Team Fastrax professional skydiving team, traveling the country in support of our veterans and Gold Star families.

Ron ultimately died from the invisible wounds of war, stemming from his Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBIs). He lived in a suicidal state for nearly three years as he transitioned out of the military into civilian life. He felt that he had become a shell of the warrior he once knew: losing executive functioning skills, increased decision-making time, emotional uncontrolled bouts of anger, pushing everyone around him away. For a warrior, these losses meant that his defenses were weak, which resulted in his increased hyper-vigilance and a lack of trust in anyone and anything, to include himself. The TBI symptoms and misdiagnosis of Post-Traumatic Stress (PTS) set him into a downward spiral of depression.

Humans know very little about the brain, and doctors found it easier to diagnose Ron with PTS rather than the unknowns of TBIs. They gave him pills and convinced him that he was haunted by the visions of war, which had not affected Ron to date. Ron went to war expecting to see what he saw and returned a stronger warrior for it. Trusting doctors, Ron went through Prolonged Exposure treatment to “heal his PTS”. Instead of helping, this treatment only emboldened Ron’s feelings of worthlessness. Ron spent years of his life trusting doctors and addressing PTS when he could have been focused on the TBIs. While we have no certain answers about how to heal the brain, and the symptoms of PTS and TBIs overlap, their treatments for the most part do not. For a warrior, a visible wound and scar is a sign of pride. Invisible wounds inevitably result in judgement from bystanders and often loved ones, as they provide no immediate visual story or reminder. Yet they contain pains within the individual for which humans have no pill.

Ron would want his life to inspire you to get out and accomplish something greater than yourself: something you feel is just outside your reach. If something sounds like an extreme challenge, he would tell you not to hesitate and to attack it. He loved the quote, “Life begins at the end of your comfort zone.” Ron has never stopped inspiring, and anyone who met Ron would know that he is grateful his brain and story continue to give back through the Concussion Legacy Foundation.

John Costello

John Bernard Costello was born on September 7, 1917, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and died peacefully at home on September 29, 2011, in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan.

He graduated from the University of Minnesota in 1940 with a degree in business administration, and was a lifelong supporter of university alumni activities. He was a member of Phi Delta Theta fraternity. During his college years he was an avid boxer; boxing was an inter-collegiate sport at that time. He won the 1938 Minnesota Golden Gloves, Bantam Weight Division.

In 1942, he attended U.S.N.R. Midshipmen’s School at Northwestern University, and was commissioned an Ensign in the U.S. Navy. John saw action aboard submarine chasers throughout World War II, both in the North Atlantic and the Pacific. He participated in the invasion of Normandy on D-Day, and eventually became captain of a sub chaser in the Pacific.

John met Marian Greenwood in the summer of 1948 on a blind date at a dance at Interlochen Club in Minneapolis. They were married June 13, 1949, and observed their 62nd wedding anniversary in 2011.

In 1947, John joined Ford Motor Company in St. Paul, Minnesota, as a “Road Man,” calling on Ford dealers in the Midwest. When he was transferred to Dearborn, Michigan, he moved his family to Bloomfield Hills in 1957. John’s work was primarily in fleet sales and leasing, which involved extensive travel in the U.S., Europe, South America, and Australia. At the time of his retirement in 1991, he was Manager of Government Sales.

John and Marian belonged to various dance clubs through the years, and passed on their love of dance and music to their children. John was an amateur guitarist, and sang with choirs at St Hugo and St. Thomas More churches. He was also an occasional skier and an enthusiastic golfer.

John is survived by his wife, Marian, his children Elaine (Thompson) Potter, Robert Costello, Danny Costello, Cynthia (Cimarron) Buser, and Michael (Melinda) Costello. His grandchildren are Mary Potter, Jimmy Costello, Paul and Colette Buser, and Quinn Costello. He was preceded in death by his son James Costello.