Dr. Ronald S. Sha

Dr. Ronald S. Sha, 78, of Durham, North Carolina passed away on Monday, May 4, 2026. He was born in Rochester, Minnesota on July 24, 1947, to the late Richard and Marian Sha.

Dr. Sha earned his medical degree from the University of Minnesota and began to practice in Mora, MN as a family physician delivering babies and working in the emergency room. A few years later in 1987, he went back to school and earned his Ph.D. in Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, also from the University of Minnesota.

In 1993, Dr. Sha and his family moved to northern Durham, NC to begin a new life in a warmer climate. After beginning his time in North Carolina working in family practice, he landed his dream job as the Medical Director at the Duke Diet and Fitness where he remained at the helm for 15 years until his retirement in 2015. Dr. Sha was re-invigorated by his career at Duke where he was able to apply his vast nutritional knowledge and help people in a unique way by encouraging a healthy diet and active lifestyle. He never lost his love to teach or daily interactions with patients and seeing their improvements.

Dr. Sha greatly enjoyed the outdoors, particularly fishing on Minnesota lakes. In later years, he also developed an appreciation for adventure and took numerous white-water rafting trips on the Upper Gauley with his son-in-law, Mark. He was a dedicated sports fan and took pride in supporting University of Minnesota football as an alumnus. Later, when his daughter Hilary attended NC State, they became season ticket holders and seldom missed a game. He also cherished time spent fishing on Crow Lake in Minnesota with his son, Grant.

Dr. Sha especially enjoyed visits to Wrightsville Beach with his wife, Laurel, where they watched the sunset and shared fresh seafood. In earlier years, they also had a lake cabin in Wisconsin that offered a quiet retreat on weekends and holidays, with time to relax together, play loud music, and also do some fishing.

Dr. Sha valued the camaraderie of his golfing friends, even though he never had a strong fondness for the game itself. He was known for his sharp intellect, easygoing manner, and warm sense of humor, and he was well regarded by those who knew him. He will be remembered as a caring and compassionate physician, a devoted husband, a loving father and grandfather, and a loyal friend. He will be deeply missed by all who were fortunate to know him.

Dr. Sha is survived his loving wife of 58 years, Laurel Sha; daughter, Hilary Macenas (Mark); son, Grant Sha (Tara Clayton); sisters, Kristi Class (Richard), Pattie Cooke (Ron), Janet Hill (Gary) and Sara Sha (Jim Elstrom); grandchildren, Zoe Macenas and Leo Sha and numerous other loving family members.

In lieu of flowers donation may be made Duke Hospice, Hock Family Pavilion, 4023 N. Roxboro St., Durham, NC 27704 or by going to dukehealth.org/locations/hock-family-pavilion.

No services will be held.