There are usually plenty of empty seats in the audience at Oxford Village’s various government meetings and unfortunately, there’s going to be one more from now on.

Ronald Rolando, a downtown merchant who was a regular fixture at those meetings, died unexpectedly at his Addison Township home on April 12, 2018. He was 76.

“He was a big supporter of Oxford and the business community downtown,” said village President Sue Bossardet. “That voice will be missed.”

“He was probably the most passionate person anybody could ever meet,” said Dora Rolando, his wife of 55 years. “He was passionate about me. He was passionate about the business. He was a loving person and he treated his wife very good.”

In November 2002, the Rolandos opened Great Lakes Mercantile. Located at 8 S. Washington St., the retail establishment offers a wide variety of edible, collectible, functional and decorative products with one thing in common – they’re made in Michigan.

To ensure quality, the Rolandos travelled all over the state, personally tasting, testing and inspecting every native product that ended up filling their shelves and showcases.

When working at the store, Rolando used his extensive knowledge, love of history and infectious passion to make customers feel as though they weren’t just purchasing a product, they were bringing home a story to share.

“Ron could sell,” Dora said.

Rolando had a keen interest in keeping tabs on everything that was happening in the village. For years, he dutifully attended just about every local government meeting, no matter the day, no matter the time.

Village council? Rolando was there.

Downtown Development Authority? He was there.

Planning commission? He was there.

Rolando was there for every bang of the gavel, for every vote and for every topic, from the mundane to the controversial.

“I’ll miss seeing his face in the audience,” Bossardet said. “He was the one constant at all of our meetings.”

“He just wanted to keep an eye on what was going on,” Dora said. “He wanted to be in the know.”

At the meetings, Rolando was a model of decorum. He never made a spectacle of himself during public comment. He was never rude to the officials or combative. He never lectured or belittled others.

Mostly, he just sat quietly in the back, observing and taking note of the decisions being made and the opinions being expressed.

“He liked to listen,” Dora said.

Dora explained her husband didn’t say much because he didn’t want to be the type of person who “popped up at every meeting with some kind of petty complaint.”

He wanted to be taken seriously and he wanted officials to know that if he was speaking, it was something important.

“Ron always felt that when the time was right and he had something to say, he was going to say it,” Dora said.

Whenever he did approach the podium to address a board, Rolando’s demeanor was that of a gentleman and his comments were well-thought-out, respectful and to the point.

Bossardet noted that Rolando was “very active” as a member of the M-24 Task Force formed in late 2016 to address the major reconstruction project now scheduled for 2020.

“He was not silent at (the) meetings that we had with MDOT (Michigan Department of Transportation),” she said. “He was always a big proponent of making (M-24) pedestrian-friendly and keeping the on-street parking and lowering the speed limit. He would stand right up to MDOT and be very vocal with them, which was (the) opposite of the way he was (at) meetings around here.”

“He was passionate about trying to get some (traffic) lights in town,” Dora said. “That was a big issue for Ron. Slow the traffic down – that was always Ron’s big thing.”

In 2003, Rolando and his wife were honored by the Oxford Chamber of Commerce with a Community Enhancement Award for the years they spent meticulously restoring the 1906 building that houses their store.

In addition to Great Lakes Mercantile, Rolando, who was a service engineer by trade, ran a business from his home called RDS Rolando. He specialized in servicing broaching (cutting) machines, Dora said.

Rolando enjoyed building and repairing things, be they boxes, buildings, machines or cars. He often shared his love by passing on his knowledge and skills to others.

“He could do anything,” Dora said. “He could make or build anything.”

Rolando was also an avid reader and collector of books, especially histories related to Michigan.

He is survived by his wife Dora; daughter Dawn (Richard) Glanville; son Rev. Silouan Sloan (Gina) Rolando; and five grandchildren – Brittany, Kira, Gregory, Lucia and Clare.

Visitation for Rolando will be held at Lynch and Sons Funeral Directors (39 W. Burdick St.) in Oxford on Thursday, April 19 from 4 to 8 p.m. and again, on Friday, April 20 beginning at 10 a.m. and continuing until the funeral service begins at 11 a.m.