Ron Henry
A Celebration of Life
Written by The Q.O.E.
For
My Dear, Dear Friend Ron
July 11, 2013
In the days before Thanksgiving, my thoughts turn to the many things and people for which I am grateful. Ron is certainly one of them.....miss him all the time, but so glad I am one whose path converged with his for the time that it did.
So, I reprint the memorial poem I read at his remembrance gathering in the name of blessings and gratitude.
Once upon
A warm September,
With a sigh I do remember,
Fourteen young teachers, sorta cool,
Began to teach at our local school.
Ron was the youngest of us by miles,
With a hearty chuckle and lots of smiles;
A grinning, fresh-faced country boy,
Pink of cheek and full of joy.
He was too young
To drive a bus,
But quickly became one of us.
With a fresh degree
And a brand new wife,
Began his adventure in grown-up life.
He taught the subject of history
Much less as a boring mystery
And more of a fun-filled evolution
Involving wars and revolution.
Ron
Is a prankster extraordinaire,
There’s practically nothing he wouldn’t dare.
He should likely have been shot years ago,
But we loved him,
So we let him go.
His victims usually took in stride
The monkey shines that were his pride.
Administrators were in his sights,
And he must have stayed up late at night
Plotting what would rub them raw,
Yet not quite be against the law.
One time, he, with his victim chosen,
Opened office windows and left it frozen:
With wintery blasts the winds did blow
‘Til papers and chairs were all covered with snow.
What he called fun-filled witticism,
Some might refer to as vandalism.
And we didn’t chide him,
“No! No more!”
We laughed until our sides were sore.
Kids
Flocked to him in adoring bunches,
Despite the fact that he ate their lunches.
Trolling for goodies became his game…
“Spaghetti sandwich” his middle name!
In the cafeteria, he was KING,
Willing to taste test
ANYTHING!!!!
He knew the lockers
That held good cookies,
Just like a gambler knows his bookie.
All kids were the apples of his eye,
But it helped…
If your mother baked a pie.
Still,
Teaching was
The effort needed,
And every year his kids succeeded…
Because he had high expectations,
Which the students met in examinations.
They could write,
Though he stole their chow,
Because Mr. Henry showed them how.
He became a folk hero among the staff
Because, of course, he made us laugh.
When he chaperoned, I kid you not,
The kids behaved, but Ron did not.
One year on a senior trip,
The students played a little trick.
With their beloved teacher sleeping,
To his seat they went a-creeping,
And while the bus kept rolling south
They dropped dead flies
Into his mouth.
Later….
Matching tie-dyed romper suits
Made Ron and Ward Stanton sure look cute.
New heights of embarrassment
Were reached
As they showed them off in Myrtle Beach.
My retirement party
Was quite a breeze
‘Til Ron began a slow strip-tease.
Thank goodness, as clothes were peeled away,
That tie-dyed romper saved the day!
Since friends
By his stunts were often burned,
They loved it when the tables turned.
One night
He couldn’t start the car;
Walked home from school in rain –too far!
He met the neighbors, mad and soaked.
“I couldn’t start the car,” he croaked.
He stomped his foot and shook his head,
“I think the battery must be dead.”
Back they all went to do some good,
Poking and prodding beneath the hood.
They were determined to assist,
And found the detail Ron had missed.
His car it seemed was still alive,
But he had left the thing in “drive.”
At coaching
Ron was much more clever,
One of the “winningest” coaches ever!
All over New York, they know his name,
Enrolled him in the Hall of Fame.
But, fame was never his special dream,
Only the good of the girls and the team.
Many a year his girls went on
To play-offs, first round and beyond.
One year they suffered a terrible mess:
Ron left the equipment at HCS.
It was his mistake, and he had to mend it,
He impersonated
The superintendent…
Found a sporting goods store still open,
And told them he was
Albert Oatman.
On Al’s credit,
He shopped and grinned,
And likely those girls went on to win!!!
Some here have known Ron since his youth:
He spoke right up, but he told the truth.
Still a kid when he married his Marilyn.
Soon came Aaron then Allison.
When they grew up and went out the door,
He missed them so that he wanted more.
Thus into the Henry’s lives came lastly
The bonus of Crystal and then of Ashley.
By grandkids the family ranks have grown;
Ron proud to call them all his own.
But another part of Ronald’s life
Took him away from kids and wife.
In the winter of ’84, it seems,
Some Colesville men shared a special dream.
Since community service was Rotary’s hub,
They wanted to start up a Rotary Club.
Officially started in ’85,
Its Charter Members all helped it thrive.
Ron, of course, was in this group,
An ambitious and generous-hearted troop.
The impossible this club achieved
Simply because they all believed.
Ron’s been an officer and a worker,
President, treasurer, never a shirker.
His stories at meetings give us laughs,
Especially when they involve his gaffs.
His audience he often wows
With tales of runaway pigs and cows.
But, he made us howl just like the dickens
With his bargain purchase of 21 chickens.
He dreamed of eggs laid by the dozens
By each chicky and its cousins.
Alas, that dream was quickly done,
Cuz they were roosters,
EVERYONE!!!
Eventually, our Ron retired,
For a rocking chair he was NOT hardwired.
Things kept him busy, the family grew,
And the work with his farm and his critters, too.
He joined Saint Luke’s, and made their day;
They made him President right away.
So the history teacher came home to roost,
And gave local history a needed boost.
Breakfast with friends
Was a weekly tradition,
Which later became a daily condition.
“Grandma’s” is his chosen place,
Where all the regulars know his face…
It’s a place where family and friends combine,
Where you just relax and lose track of time.
His spot
Is empty now and still:
There is no other that spot could fill.
He’s Papa, Grandpa, husband, friend;
An influence that has no end.
Farmer, Rotarian, history buff:
We could say more,
But it’s never enough.
He’s been much-loved,
Our Rascally Brother,
Whose sense of humor is like no other.
His passing in Colesville
Leaves a hole,
An ache in every single soul
Who knew him and loved him
Every minute –
Can’t picture life without him in it.
*
Please God,
Take care of Ron,
We miss him.
Please pick him up in your arms and kiss him.
He’s shared the journey with all of us,
And deserves a celebratory fuss…
We’d hug him ourselves,
But things have changed:
In the flick of a moment,
Life’s rearranged.
But,
I picture him
Somewhere in the sky
With a new set of wings and a big bow tie.
Now, his halo may be a bit askew,
But, Lord,
There is more than a bit of You
In the love and joy
That he’s given to others,
His family,
His friends,
And his Rotary brothers.
And if there’s a farm in that Heavenly realm,
You could do a lot worse than put Ron at the helm,
For he’ll give it his all like the very dickens,
But please,
Don’t let him pick out your chickens.
Amen.