Springfield - Ronald P. Lalli, 83, died on Aug. 7, 2018 at his home in Savannah Lake Village, McCormick, S.C., where he and his wife, the former Linda Lee Keough, of Springfield, have made their home since 2007. Lalli was born in 1935 in Springfield, the son of Anna and Felix Lalli. Educated in the Springfield school system, he also served in the U.S. Air Force. After his honorable discharge from active duty, he enrolled at Western New England College, now Western New England University, in Springfield, where he received a Bachelor’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering and MBA in Finance. He enrolled as the first day student at the school, which, at the time, held classes in the former Springfield YMCA on Chestnut St. Lalli’s business career spanned 53 years. He founded or co-founded eight companies in western Massachusetts and northern Connecticut, which employed between three to four thousand people. Employees described him as a highly-respected and caring leader whose motivation, mentorship and Christian values were sources of inspiration. In 1963, he founded EBTEC Inc., in Agawam. When the company was sold 23 years later, it had three plants in Massachusetts and one in California, and was the largest electron beam welding and laser facility in the country, serving the aerospace, medical and micro-electronic industries. He also founded Texcel, Inc., in East Longmeadow, and Litron, Inc., in Agawam. The companies manufactured laser hermetic sealing systems used in the manufacture of implantable medical devices and instruments sold in the U.S. and abroad. PTI Industries, in Enfield, another of his companies, manufactured bonded aerospace components, while Overhaul Support Services of Windsor, Conn., assembled, overhauled and tested dynamic helicopter parts for Sikorsky Helicopter. Lalli served on the Board of Trustees of Western New England University for 34 years and helped guide its development into an institution with four thousand students in the engineering, law and pharmacy schools. He was a member of the board’s executive committee, the long-term planning committee and he chaired the financial committee. In addition to his career as a business executive and responsibilities as a husband, father and university trustee, Lalli found time for civic and community service activities. He was on the Board of Selectmen and other town committees in Montgomery, where he and his family lived for 25 years. In Springfield, he served on public schools needs and evaluation committees. He was also Commissioner of the Pioneer Valley Swim Team for eight years, and a member of UNICO, the Italian-American service organization. He leaves his devoted wife and best friend of 57 years Linda, whom he credits with encouraging and supporting his successes and many lifetime achievements. He is also survived by their three children: sons, CDR Michael P. Lalli USN Retired and wife Carol of Yorktown, VA, and Christopher T. Lalli and wife Sandra, of Southwick MA, and daughter Daryl M. Maynard and husband Robert, of Fernandina Beach, FL; four grandchildren, David Lalli and wife Maui, Patrick Lalli, Brian Lalli, and Charlotte Maynard; and sisters, Lauriana Lavallee, and Phyllis Gotta both of Springfield, Mass. Family and friends are invited to attend visiting hours on Wednesday, October 3rd from 4-7PM at Forastiere Smith Funeral and Cremation, 220 North Main St., East Longmeadow, MA. Ronald’s funeral will be held on Thursday, October 4th from the funeral home at 9:45AM followed by a Liturgy of Christian Burial in St. Patrick’s Church, Springfield, MA at 11AM. Burial will follow in Gate of Heaven Cemetery, Springfield, MA. Contributions may be made to a charity of one’s choice. For more information or to leave a condolence for the family, please visit: www.forastiere.com.