Ronald "Ronnie" Louis Laudenheimer

Ronald "Ronnie" Louis Laudenheimer, 74, of Austin, Texas, passed away peacefully, at home, on December 10th, 2025, surrounded by loved ones. He was born November 29th, 1951, in Monroe, Louisiana, to Nathan James Laudenheimer and Ida Sophie Davidson. Ronnie graduated from Neville High School and LSU and while he built his life in Shreveport and then Austin, his love of the LSU Tigers never waned. He married Barbara Jo Baskind on January 11th, 1975, in Shreveport, beginning a loving and cherished union that would span over 50 years. Together they raised three incredible daughters (Kelly, Kim, and Joy) and ran their family business, Toy Fair, a beloved children's clothing and toy store. In his 36 years at Toy Fair, Ronnie fitted most of Shreveport's children with new shoes. They expanded their business with Barbara's brother Bobby Baskind by launching Splash, a pools and spa business that grew to six locations across the Southeast. While successful in business, Ronnie's main focus was always his family. As a Dad, Ronnie was steady, calm, connected, silly and loving. He was always there to listen and play. His daughters were the pride of his life. That is, until the grandchildren were born. When his first grandchild was born in Austin, Texas he put the wheels in motion for him and Barbara to retire and move to Austin where they built a life rich with deep new friendships, volunteer work, golf, poker, and family. Ronnie was easy - easy going, easy to talk to, easy to be with, loved by everyone who crossed his path. He was sweet, kind, gentle, happy, fun-loving, and always smiling. A mensch in the truest sense, he was always ready to help, whether through the many volunteer opportunities Barbara found for them or simply being there for family and friends and people he just met. He loved football, golf, poker, dumb jokes, good pranks, and sweet treats. What Ronnie loved most was being a grandfather and man did he do it well. He adored his eight grandchildren, and they adored him right back. He was a steady presence in every one of their lives. His pockets seemed to have an almost magical supply of candy in them, and he loved nothing more than treating his grandkids to ice cream sundaes and other sweets. Ronnie was a grandchild magnet - always having one or more in his lap or just outright lying on top of him. He was down for seemingly any grandfather adventure. Whether the kids wanted to watch construction equipment, feed ducks, play Wii, or drive electric cars, Ronnie was there for it. His calm, loving and attentive energy will live on through all of his loved ones - both family and friends. Ronnie was preceded in death by his parents. He is survived by his wife Barbara; his siblings Jimmy Laudenheimer (Betsy), Donnie Laudenheimer (Pam), and Julie Smith; his daughters Kelly Cruise (Daniel), Kim Lindauer (Jared), and Joy Solomon (Justin); and his grandchildren Miles Lindauer (15), Ari Lindauer(12), Maya Cruise (11), Levi Lindauer (9), Rylan Solomon (9), Mabel Cruise (8), Keith Cruise (8), and Lyla Solomon (5). He is also survived by numerous loving nieces, nephews, cousins, and dear friends. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Ronnie’s (z"l) loving memory to The Magdalene House (https://www.magdaleneaustin.org/) or to Austin Jews and Partners for Refugees (https://www.austinjewsandpartners.org/), both of which are near and dear to Ronnie and Barbara.

Ronald "Ronnie" Louis Laudenheimer

November 29, 1951 - December 10, 2025