Grandfather
The Modesto Bee
A working man who gave his career to the Modesto Bee and retired from it, the kind of steadiness a town is actually built on. He passed recently. Everything on this page is downstream of him.
August 1, 2026
Home In Modesto
Officially back where it started, training at the local level, on the same ground that made him.
Three Generations
The Orona Name
Father
Craig Orona
Born and raised in Modesto, and still here today. An accomplished educator, executive director, fractional CEO, and consultant, a man who built a career on developing other people, then raised a son the same way.
Son
Keith Orona
Carrying it forward on a track instead of a newsroom floor or a boardroom. Same standard: show up, do the hard version, and leave the place better than you found it.
What It Stands On
"Strong, American, family values, grounded in faith and in a higher power that is with all of us."
The Man
Fierce, And Kind
People who have known Keith for sixteen years say the same thing two different ways: he is the most competitive person in the building, and he is the first one to pick somebody else up. That combination is rare, and it is the whole reason the speaking, coaching, and mentoring work matters as much as the marks do.