Ron E. Ferree

Ron Ferree was born on August 5, 1937, at home in Glen Rock, PA. He passed away peacefully at the veterans hospital in Louisville, KY on November 10, 2026. Ron joined the United States Navy shortly after graduating high school, enlisting on July 3, 1955. He proudly served as a Radio Intelligence Operator. His sign-off after each message sent was a simple "Z". He was honorably discharged on Feb. 17, 1966. He would often recite the exact length of his service, "10 years, 7 months, and 14 days."

Following his military service, Ron attended Northrup Institute in California, where he trained to become an airplane mechanic. He had always dreamed of flying airplanes, but poor eyesight kept him from the pilot's seat. Instead, he found his place keeping them in the air. Ron devoted nearly 40 years to the airline industry, working for United Airlines, Flying Tigers, Ryan Aviation, and ultimately retiring from UPS in January 2001.

Ron was a lucky man to have 25 more years of life after retirement. He spent them exploring, traveling, building, learning, and making wonderful memories with the people he loved. He took road trips with his children, shared adventures with his grandchildren, and never stopped being curious about the world. He was a volleyball dad, an amateur astronomer, a woodworker, and a man that could fix just about anything. He loved his Anytime Fitness Gym, which he frequented most days, wearing his camo shorts and his Crocs year round.

He commanded a simulated space flight, played cowboy on the Continental Divide, and helped build Black Rock City for the Burning Man Festival 5 years in a row. He wrote letters from out there saying, "there's a hundred workers eating dinner at this table. All of us are left handed. I've never felt more at home in my life." 25 years of retirement gave him and all of us an extraordinary collection of memories.

Ron is survived by his wife, Laura; children, Eli, Tracy, and Katie; grandchildren, Ronin, River, and Hudson; sister, Shirley; brother, Michael; and nieces and nephews.

A reception of family and friends will be 10:00 am - 2:00 pm Friday, November 20, 2026 at Kraft Funeral Service, 708 E. Spring Street, New Albany, Indiana. A committal service with military honors will be held at Edwardsville Cemetery in Georgetown, Indiana at 3:00 pm Friday.

The family requests contributions in Ron's memory to the Wounded Warriors Project or Lewy Body Dementia Association.