Ron Meisels OWN 1935-2026 RIP

Ron Meisels Obituary

Ron Robert Meisels, born June 7, 1935, in Budapest, Hungary, passed away peacefully at home on March 15, 2026, at the age of 90.

Ron is lovingly remembered by his partner, Nancy Lydon; his son, David Meisels, and daughter-in-law, Juliana Khalil; his cherished grandsons, Alex and Toby; and stepdaughter, Tracy Finkelstein.

His early life was marked by extraordinary hardship and survival during the Second World War. Ron’s father, Mano Meisels, was executed by the Germans in 1944. Ron, his mother, and stepfather survived the war after being saved by Raoul Wallenberg and were confined in the Budapest Ghetto until liberation in 1945. Following the war, they lived for ten years under the Communist regime, then immigrated to Montreal in 1954, where they began a new life in Canada.

Arriving in Montreal with limited spoken English, and true to his Gemini nature, Ron worked at many jobs to establish himself. His stamina and good spirits guided him through a number of sales positions as he built his future. Determined to improve his opportunities, he attended night school at Sir George Williams University while working full-time.

Over time, he developed a passion for the stock market, particularly the craft of technical analysis. This interest led him to work for several brokerage firms before founding his own company, Phases & Cycles Inc., in 1990, establishing the career for which he became widely respected. Ron was a founder of the Canadian Society of Technical Analysis and an early member of the International Federation of Technical Analysts. He was a frequent speaker at international conferences, including in London, Berlin and Cairo, among many others, as well as many appearances on BNN. Ron’s weekly feature in the Globe and Mail brought his insight on stocks to a wide audience.

Beyond work, Ron remained active in many pursuits. For a few years in his youth, he volunteered with the Canadian Ski Patrol, combining service with his love of skiing. In the warmer months, he enjoyed serving as a soccer referee for 25 years. He also maintained a lifelong love of music and theatre, serving for several years on the Board of Directors of Montreal’s Centaur Theatre and acting in three fundraising performances. Ron was a longtime member of the University Club of Montreal, where he chaired a number of committees and was named Member of the Year in 2020, an honour he greatly appreciated. Even while living with Parkinson’s disease, Ron continued to pursue his passions, especially travel with Nancy, visiting many remarkable destinations around the world. Nothing brought Ron greater happiness than his family. He took enormous joy in watching his grandsons grow into smart and caring young men, and time spent with David and Juliana always brought a smile to his face.

Ron and his beloved Nancy shared 38 wonderful years together and, to the delight of family and friends, hosted a surprise wedding celebration in 2010. Best friends and partners in work and life, they embraced every opportunity to enjoy life together to the fullest. Ron will be remembered for his sense of humour, resilience, optimism, generosity of spirit, and deep devotion to his family and friends.

A reception to celebrate Ron’s life will be held on April 9th, from 5:00 – 7:00 p.m. at Mount Royal Commemorative Services, 1297 Chemin de la Foret, Outremont. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Neuro’s Parkinson’s programs (514-398-1953) or to Diabetes Research at MUHC (514-843-1543) in memory of Ron Meisels.

Phases and Cycles
An Ode to OWN’s Ron Meisels
©Wanda Potrykus OWN

OWN’s Ron M. is a financial, expansile whiz and wunderkind
An intelligent, gentle man, and a highly respected technical analyst
The gist of which tells us little of the man he is,
So, ‘tis our great pleasure to help elucidate and
Celebrate the man we love and listen to, in terms
Of market ups and downs and bulls and bears,
He doesn’t try to scare us, no sirree, we’ve learned to agree
You see with much of what he sez, but I confess at times
To not quite understand, but we always have to hand it to him,
He’s a true and vital, vibrant master in his own domain
In the game of market gains and losses.

At Nesbitt Thompson Inc, later BMO Nestbitt Burns,
Turns out there, he found his fit, but instead of sticking with it,
A known market name, 35 years or so years ago,
He upped his game, never one to hide his fame,
He took the free-market plunge, he created, tested
Phases and Cycles, his own consulting whiz business,
And with baited breath, he proved his worth, for even
Those with a dearth of financial sense and sensibility, have had to
Agree wholeheartedly, his Meisels Index trading tool that
Soon flexed his, and our, market muscles, has helped many tussle
With short-term North American market forces.

Plus for over forty years and more, at our beloved Wednesday Night salon
Ron’s been a stalwart fixture, and with his famed Meisels’ mixture
Of wit, knowledge and clout, he’s assisted many out, and to understand
And seemingly see, just how they can wisely hedge their market bets and
Get in and out, without too much damage to their portfolios;
His ‘hee hee, ho ho’ sideline of sharing with so many of us, cartoons
Jokes and digs that roast and rib political, social and market mores,
Have taught us well, and instructed us in how, humour and rumour
Can be detrimental, but elemental to a super talented, multifaceted,
Technical analyst, whose friend, the artist, the late Herb Berkowitz,
Now part of Wednesday Night’s growing contingent in the cloud,
Once said of him (and many of us will agree and hold up our hand in unity)
“Ron patiently provides his services with understanding and integrity.
Personal friendship added willingly, at no extra cost.”
Thus our loss will be the heavens’ gain. Thank you dearest Ron,
For all the years of friendship, mentorship, humour and laughter,
Wise words, warmth and companionship. Fly high…
We wish you well in your next cycle in the sky,
Or whatever phase it is you go on to, since none of us really truly know.

As a historical, cultural wit, ever adept at poking the bull, or is it the bear?
You dared and weren’t scared to opt for an auspicious date to go forth,
Thus you chose your exit gate as March 15th – the infamous Ides of March,
But also National Everything You Think is Wrong Day –
A humorous way to acknowledge human judgment can be flawed.
It’s also a national holiday in Hungary, celebrating freedom and the
Hungarian Revolution of 1848. Plus on this date in 1917,
Czar Nicholas II of Russia abdicated his throne…Hell, well…enough of fates,
I could drone on about the many other significances of this chosen date,
Such as it being National Shoe the World Day, or maybe today that should be Rue the World…?
It’s also World Consumer Rights Day and the day the first working escalator
Was patented in 1892, plus in 1985, the first dot com domain, Symbolics.com,
Was registered, all well-known facts I expect, to an educator such as you.
All told, it seems an apt, symbolic date for you to plan your going,
Just know this Ron, you’ve been a great husband, friend and a good, kind man,
You’ve made a difference, you were loved. Thank you from all of us,
Bon voyage, Goodbye, Szia (see-yah) or Viszlát! (vis-laat) in Hungarian,
Or maybe Viszontlátásra (vi-sont-laa-taash-ra), which means as you well know:
“Until we see you again”. So it’s sad for us to see you go
Shalom, Amen from all…to that.