Ronald Julius Perlt, a longtime industry expert and sales manager, as well as the founder of Associated Hearing Instruments in St Paul, Minn, died on January 29, 2021 at age 88.
Born in St Paul on January 24, 1933, Ron worked in his father’s grocery store and enlisted in the Navy in 1952. He was sent to the Great Lakes Navy base and it was there that he met his beloved wife, Janet (Heaton), who preceded him in death. Marrying in Scarsdale, NY—just before Ron shipped off to Guam—theirs was a love story that continued for 63 years. After being discharged, Ron and Janet moved back to St Paul.
Ron went to work in the hearing aid industry after being introduced to it by Janet’s father, John Heaton, who had worked for Sonatone Hearing. He worked in both retail and wholesale areas of the industry and moved his family to Des Moines, Iowa, and Katonah, NY, as he advanced his career. Eventually choosing to move back to St Paul, Ron started his own dispensing business, Associated Hearing Instruments, in February 1975. The company was established in the Central Medical Building in St Paul, and remains in practice today. As Associated Hearing took off, Ron decided he needed more work to do, so he worked for several years for Siemens Hearing Instruments. He retired from Siemens at age 78, after more than 35 year with the company, as their Midwest Regional Sales Manager.
Ron and Janet loved boating and they owned several boats on the St Croix River. They were active members of the St Croix Yacht Club. One of Ron’s greatest honors was to be elected to Commodore of the Yacht Club in 1993.
Ron was predeceased by his beloved wife Janet. He is survived by sister Mahala, his children, Patti (Glen) Kleven, Karen (Tom) Ueland, and Ron (Lynda) Perlt, and 12 grandchildren and 21 great grandchildren.
He will be greatly missed by family, colleagues, and friends.
Hearing Review thanks Ronald’s son, Ron Perlt (also a long-time hearing industry executive), for supplying HR with information for the above tribute.
