Ambassador John D. Ong

John Doyle Ong, former United States Ambassador to the Kingdom of Norway, and Chairman Emeritus of The BFGoodrich Company, passed away peacefully on June 4, 2026, after a brief hospitalization for kidney failure.

Ong was born on September 29, 1933, in Uhrichsville, Ohio, the son of Louis B. and Mary Ellen (Liggett) Ong. A 1951 graduate of Uhrichsville High School, Ambassador Ong received both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from The Ohio State University and was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa in 1954. After receiving his law degree from Harvard Law School in 1957, Ong served in the U.S. Army in the Counter Intelligence Corps and the Judge Advocate General’s Corps in Maryland and New Orleans.

Ong began his BFGoodrich career in 1961 as assistant counsel. He became administrative assistant to the president of International BFGoodrich in 1966, vice president of that division in 1969, and president in 1970. Ong was named group vice president of the corporation in 1972 and elected executive vice president and a member of the board of directors the following year. He served as vice chairman from 1974 to 1975 before being elected president in 1975.

Ong was elected chairman and chief executive officer of BFGoodrich on July 1, 1979, and served in that role for 18 years. During his tenure as CEO, Ong led the transformation of BFGoodrich from being primarily a manufacturer of tires, industrial rubber products, and commodity chemicals into a leading provider of aircraft systems and services and a producer of specialty chemicals. Upon his retirement in 1997, Ong was named Chairman Emeritus.

Ong was nominated by President George W. Bush in August 2001 to be U.S. Ambassador to Norway. After confirmation in January 2002, Ambassador Ong served with distinction in Oslo, and at the end of his ambassadorship in November 2005, Ong was given the Grand Cross of the Royal Norwegian Order of Merit.

Ong played a leadership role in many organizations involved in education and business. He was a Life Trustee of the University of Chicago, a former trustee of Bexley Hall Seminary, Kenyon College, Case Western Reserve University, the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, The Ohio State University, and the Fort Ligonier Association. Ong served as Chairman of the Musical Arts Association of Cleveland (The Cleveland Orchestra) and was a Trustee Emeritus and former board president of Western Reserve Academy in Hudson, Ohio, where the John D. Ong Library is named in his honor.

Ong was a leading advocate for business involvement in civic and cultural activities, both nationally and in northeast Ohio. He was a member of President Reagan’s 1983 Commission on Industrial Competitiveness, chairman of the Business Roundtable, the National Alliance of Business, the Business Committee for the Arts, New American Schools, Inc., the National Inventors Hall of Fame, and the Ohio Business Roundtable. He was a member of The Business Council from 1989 until 2005. He was also a member of the Council of Retired Chief Executives and the Council of American Ambassadors. He served as a director of seven S&P 500 companies.

In recognition of his many contributions, he was awarded the Alumni Medal and the Humanities Award of Distinction from the Ohio State University, alongside honorary doctorates from Kent State University, the University of Akron, and South Dakota State University.

Aside from his business and civic engagement, Ambassador Ong had many passions, including reading (especially history), book collecting, classical music (including opera and light opera), fly fishing, wine collecting, and hiking/exploring. Ong was also an active member of various clubs and organizations dedicated to these pursuits.

Ambassador Ong was preceded in death by his beloved wife of 62 years, Mary Lee (Schupp) Ong, who passed away in 2019. Together, they traveled the world, shared a passion for the outdoors, and dedicated themselves to countless charitable endeavors. Their most significant joint venture, aside from their family, was their Angus cattle farm in southwestern Pennsylvania, which they built and maintained together for over four decades, with the help of their longtime manager, Richard Wilson, and his family.

Ong is survived by three children, John F.H. Ong of Stonington, Conn., Richard P.B. ("Diccon") Ong (Donalee) of Hudson, Ohio, and M. Katherine C. ("Katie") Ong of Stahlstown, Penn., his brother, Joseph W. Ong (Rose) of Columbus, Ohio, and six grandchildren, Sophia H. Ong of Toledo, Ohio, Matthew L. Landini of Washington, DC, Simon L. Ong of Los Angeles, Elliot O. Ong, of New York City, J. Finley Ong of San Francisco, and F. Henry Ong of Los Angeles. He is also survived by his faithful dog, Frieda, who has been continually at his side for 15 years. Ong was predeceased by two brothers, Richard H. Ong in 1955, and James F. Ong in 2006.

Memorial services will be held at St. Michael’s in the Valley Episcopal Church in Ligonier, Penn., on Friday, July 3rd, at 11:00, and at Christ Church Episcopal in Hudson, Ohio, on Saturday, August 29th, at 11:00.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that any memorial donations be made to Christ Church Episcopal Hudson, St. Michael’s in the Valley Episcopal Church, the Fort Ligonier Association, or Western Reserve Academy.