Remembering Ron Menaker

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114 – November/December, 2022

By Joan Harrigan

Paying tribute to Ronald Menaker in just a few pages is a daunting task. When he passed away in Jupiter, Florida on February 16, he had accomplished much in his 77 years—in our sport, his career in business, and through his generosity as a philanthropist. All well-documented in the business and dog world. To his family and friends, he was a brilliant, kind, and “utterly charismatic” individual. To others he was a “genius” who combined his honed business and people skills with vivid vision. Lorna Hastings Menaker remembers her husband of eight years as “very witty, a great raconteur, very humble—he was Ron, truly one of a kind—unique.”

For her, his loss is visceral. “We did everything together,” she says. “We were rarely out of each other’s company.” The couple met when Menaker was judging in the U.K. A native of Scotland, Lorna Hastings lived in London. She was known for her Lorianna Border Collies and Canaan Dogs and was herself a judge. Menaker bred and owned Bedlingtons, Giant Schnauzers, and Border Terriers. After their initial introduction, the pair got to know each other slowly, over a long period of time. They’d encounter each other at shows in the U.S. and abroad. “Everyone loved him,” Hastings Menaker recalls. “He could always find time to talk–he was so approachable.”

At Crufts one year, Menaker chatted with Hastings and an American friend. Afterward, the friend noted that Menaker had been flirting with Hastings, who dismissed the idea. However, the friend was correct–at their next meeting, Menaker gave her his business card and invited her to dinner. Hastings replied that she could meet for lunch, but not dinner, but he couldn’t fit a lunch into his schedule, and this became their running joke.

Of course, they eventually had that dinner date. “It was a lovely evening,” Hastings Menaker recalls. “We talked about dogs and wines–Ron knew his wines!” Their friendship grew into a romance. Menaker asked her to marry him. The couple wed in Palm Beach, Florida on February 25, 2014. Her parents flew over to serve as witnesses with her son, Alexander. Hastings Menaker remembers the day as the happiest of her life–each had found a life partner and soul mate in the other.

From the U.S. Army to Wall Street

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114 – November/December, 2022

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