Ronald A. Bordeaux, 51, of Washington, D.C., died on Jan. 15, 2014. Before moving into northwest D.C. over 10 years ago, he and his family lived in Arlington then Alexandria for over 15 years. A native of Peoria, Illinois and a graduate of Harvard Law School, Mr. Bordeaux was a distinguished international tax partner with PricewaterhouseCoopers for nearly two decades. All who knew him will long remember his powerful intellect, his boundless curiosity and his great zest for all things tax, tennis, and family.
He was born in Peoria, Ill., to Helen and the late Henry Bordeaux in 1962. In 1984 he graduated with highest honors from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with a BS in finance, where he received the College of Commerce Top Ten Senior Award. He went on to Harvard Law School where he earned his J.D. in 1987. He began his legal career with McDermott Will & Emery in Chicago, then spent a year in London with Fox & Gibbons before returning to the U.S. to join the Washington, D.C. office of Shearman & Sterling LLP. He joined PricewaterhouseCoopers in 1997, where he practiced for the remainder of his career.
At PWC, Mr. Bordeaux worked in the National Tax Services office where he advised U.S. and foreign-based multinationals with regard to their international tax issues, including projects involving mergers and acquisitions, restructurings, cross-border financing, redomiciliation and tax treaties. He served as co-leader of the firm’s national inbound tax leadership team. In this capacity, he advised major foreign-based clients in structuring their inbound investment in the U.S. and subsequent compliance with U.S. tax rules. He also represented companies in controversy matters, as well as ruling requests with the IRS.
He was a member of the Foreign Activities of U.S. Taxpayers Committee and the U.S. Activities of Foreign Taxpayers Committee of the American Bar Association Tax Section. He was a frequent speaker at tax seminars worldwide and he published articles on an array of international tax topics. He was a member of the bar of the District of Columbia and the State of Illinois.
An enthusiastic member of the tennis community at Belle Haven Country Club, he enjoyed playing against other area club teams with his many dear friends. He won numerous tennis awards at Belle Haven and was also a club paddle tennis champion. His life-long love of the sport began at an early age; he played with his parents at their hometown club, and later competed on the varsity tennis team in high school. His passion for the game led him to serve on the board of the Washington Tennis & Education Foundation. Another of his passions was classical music. He was an award-winning cellist during his high school years, and his love for classical music continued throughout his life.
Mr. Bordeaux was a devoted Catholic, thoughtful academic, and avid traveler. Ron married Christina Zack Bordeaux in 1988 and the two were married for 24 years before separating. He was a wonderful father to his daughter Brittany and son Nicholas. He and his family shared many wonderful times traveling through Europe and to their favorite destination, Sarasota, Fla., where numerous hours were spent on the tennis courts. He is survived, loved and missed by his children, Brittany and Nicholas of Washington, D.C., his mother Helen Bordeaux of Peoria, Ill., brother David Doggett Bordeaux of Atlanta, Ga., sisters Janice Bordeaux of Houston, Texas and Donna Adams of Nashville, Tenn., and his former wife, Christina Bordeaux. He was preceded in death by his father Henry Bordeaux and his sister Gail Kaleel.
A memorial service will be held on Saturday, Jan. 25 at 10 a.m. at Holy Trinity Catholic Church, 3513 N Street, NW, Georgetown, Washington, D.C. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to either: the Washington Tennis and Education Foundation, 16th & Kennedy Streets, NW, Washington D.C. 20011 or St. Albans School, Annual Giving, Mount St. Alban, Washington, D.C. 20016.