Dates
Surrounded by family and friends, Ronald Richey Nason, 82, of San Angelo, went to be with his Lord and Savior after a courageous and hard-fought eight-month battle with heart failure and esophageal cancer.
He was born in San Angelo on July 21, 1937 to Corine Marie Masters and James Henry Nason. As a young boy, Ron loved the outdoors, fishing, hiking, and hunting on his grandmother’s farm outside of town. During high school, he helped his single mother raise his two sisters, and, in 1954, joined the United States Air Force, serving as a fighter jet mechanic until 1960. After returning home, Ron met Hilda Yvonne Beaver, and in 1962, they were married at Temple Baptist Church. In 1964, the young couple moved to the DFW area, where Ron worked as a supervisor at Rockwell International. Five years later, Ron and Yvonne welcomed their only child Christopher Marc, into the world. In 1971, the Nason family relocated to Lewisville, Texas, where they would spend the next 33 years. In that same year, Ron began to work as a freight supervisor for Texas Oklahoma Express, later accepting a management position at Yellow Freight Lines in Dallas. After Retiring in 2004, Ron and Yvonne moved back to San Angelo, where they both became active in ministry through Glen Meadows Baptist Church. Over the years, Ron served faithfully as a Sunday School teacher, a church deacon, and an active participant in the “Through God Comes Justice” jail ministry. While he was known to be a no-nonsense straight shooter, Ron also had a sense of humor that was frequently on display, and he loved giving those who knew him best a hard time. After returning to San Angelo, Ron’s relationship with God continued to grow, manifested in his deep and genuine concern for his family, friends, and church. Even in his last days, his concern was not for himself but his wife, his son, and the members of his Sunday School class, who over the years, became his extended family. A voracious reader, a lover of sports and a true believer, Ron was a man of integrity, perseverance, and commitment, and he lived his life accordingly.
He was preceded in death by his mother, Corine, his sister Rosie, and A.F. Nored, his stepfather.
He is survived by Yvonne, his wife of 57 years, Chris, his son, Barbara, his sister, Judy Rippetoe, cousin, of San Angelo, Freddie Rippetoe, cousin, of Houston, Kelly Vittum, cousin, of Salt Lake City, Utah, and Grant Rippetoe, cousin, of London, England. He is also survived by other family members and a host of very dear friends.
The Nason family would like to extend a special thank you to the nursing staff at Shannon Hospital, particularly Candy Molina, Brittany Manuel, and Keegan Gollihar, who went above and beyond in providing Ron and his family with both physical and emotional care when it was needed the most.
A memorial service will be held at Harper Funeral Home Sunday, October 6, 2019 at 2:00 PM.
In lieu of flowers, memorials can be made to Glen Meadow Baptist Church, 6002 Knickerbocker Rd., San Angelo, TX 76904 or the American Cancer Society, www.cancer.org