Ronde Winkler, the ultimate ambassador of Leisure World who was known for her fiscal prudence and wise counsel on the GRF Board of Directors and the Seal Beach Planning Commission, died Nov. 30 after a brief and sudden illness.
Winkler served on the GRF Board from 2012-2020, with multiple terms as corporate secretary, treasurer and president. Before that, she began serving on her Mutual 10 Board almost as soon as she arrived in LW in August 2006.
She stepped down from the GRF Board in February 2020 to take a seat on the Seal Beach Planning Commission representing District 2. She was elected vice chair on Jan. 19 and was active until her last meeting, on Nov. 1. The Seal Beach City Council will recognize Winkler at the Dec. 13 council meeting, adjourning it in her memory.
Winkler was born and raised in Juneau, Alaska. She moved to Southern California when she was 17 to marry Leo Andersen. The couple had three children: Mark, Christopher and Stacy.
Ronde loved numbers, so it was no surprise that she became an accounting consultant and successfully owned and operated her own firm, Ronde & Co., until she retired and moved to Leisure World.
She was a woman ahead of her time, said her daughter, Stacy Andersen. Winkler made her own money, purchased and drove three different Corvettes, went to racing school, and jumped out of an airplane. She always championed the professional advancement of women, specifically through an organization called Business and Professional Women (BPW). Her elected positions included state president for the International Federation of BPW.
True to her character and drive, she was an active and dedicated community leader wherever she lived. She had a long history of serving on the boards of nonprofit organizations, almost always in leadership positions. She gave her time to Rotary International Club, Boys and Girls Clubs, the Business Council of South El Monte, Whittier College Board of Visitors, Lincoln Training Center, Los Angeles Economic Development Corp. and the El Monte-South El Monte Chamber of Commerce. As for the GRF Board, she was known for her hawk-eyed reviews of financial reports and budgets. She was especially interested in developing programs to ensure the long-term viability of the GRF and its Trust properties.
GRF President Susan Hopewell said, “I had the privilege and honor of serving with Ronde on the GRF Board for five years. She was a wealth of knowledge and always willing to share that knowledge with new GRF directors. I smile now thinking of her referring to herself as a ‘forensic accountant’ as she reviewed invoices, financial statements and budgets. She was a great role model and mentor and will be sorely missed.”
Winkler characterized herself as having “just plain ol’ common sense,” and it showed in everything she did, beginning with an unwavering commitment to the many time-consuming jobs she took on.
As GRF president from 2014-16, she presided over all board meetings and attended every committee meeting as the ex-officio member.
When she accepted the post on the planning commission in 2020, District 2 Councilman Thomas Moore said, “Over the past several years of attending events in Leisure World, I have had the opportunity to get to know Ronde and can attest to her integrity and commitment to our community.”
Her colleague, District 5 Councilwoman Sandra Massa-Lavitt, described Winkler as “so capable, so qualified for everything. I’m shattered that we have lost such a wonderful and capable person. We were friends who would sit over lunch and laugh about our aches and pains and generally getting old. I will genuinely miss her.”
Her many friends, who were stunned by her sudden death, agree that she will be greatly missed, especially her cheerful, 100-watt smile and her indelible sense of style. She is survived by sons Mark Andersen and Christopher Andersen, daughter Stacy Andersen, seven grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren.
A memorial service is being planned; information will be provided in an upcoming issue.
—Ruth Osborn
