Ronald Sedgwick, Co-Founder of Ron's Apothecary, Passes Away

Ronald Sedgwick, the longtime pharmacist and co-founder of Ron’s Apothecary, passed away peacefully at his home in Juneau, Legacy reported.

Sedgwick’s influence shaped Southeast Alaska’s healthcare for decades, stretching from the Mendenhall Mall to the specialized compounding labs that served both human patients and local pets. His death marks the end of an era for a community pharmacy that became a regional landmark through its commitment to personalized care.

“One of the best moves we ever made was to walk across the driveway to each other to share these last eleven years,” Linda Wild, Sedgwick’s wife, told Legacy.

Sedgwick first arrived in Alaska after meeting his first wife, Sue Kramer, at Oregon State University pharmacy school. After a visit to her father’s logging camp in Ketchikan, he moved to Juneau permanently in 1968, Legacy reported.

Together, Sedgwick and Kramer founded Ron’s Apothecary, establishing a presence in the Mendenhall Mall next to Super Bear in 1977. The business later expanded with a second location built in partnership with the Medical Center adjacent to Bartlett Regional Hospital. Sedgwick’s son, Carrington, recalled his father hand-making the sign that remains near the building’s same-day surgery side.

In the late 1980s, Sedgwick pivoted the pharmacy’s focus toward expanded compounding capacity. This technical shift allowed him to create specialized treatments for the people and animals of Juneau and the surrounding Southeast communities. Even as recently as this summer, residents were requesting his specific formulations, including his diaper rash ointment, bug bite gel, and a skin eruption cream for pets.

After nearly 40 years of practice, Sedgwick transitioned his responsibilities to Scott Watts, who has managed the pharmacy’s service standards for over 20 years, Legacy reported.

While his professional identity was tied to the apothecary, Sedgwick was known to friends as a host of large parties and a member of the Gourmet Club. He was an avid outdoorsman who spent much time aboard his boat, Conquest, exploring the waters of Southeast Alaska.

His daughter, Tanni Swisher, shared a memory of a fishing trip where she reeled in a large king salmon, only for her father to take the pole and land the 51-pound fish himself, later giving her half the credit for the catch, Legacy reported.

In his later years, Sedgwick and his dog, Max, traveled the back roads of the western United States and Canada in a motor home. He also spent winters in Boca de Tomatlan, Jalisco, Mexico, where he enjoyed the river views and the local community, Legacy reported.

Sedgwick is survived by his wife, Linda Wild and her children and grandchildren; his son, Carrington (Stacy) Sedgwick and their children; and his daughter, Tanni (Shawn) Swisher and their children, Legacy reported.

An open house to celebrate his life and share stories will be held at his home on Atlin Drive next July.

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