Ronald Hearn

Ronald Lee Hearn

Virginia Beach, VA-Ronald Lee Hearn, 77, passed peacefully from this world on June 13, 2016 while in hospice care at Westminster Canterbury on the Chesapeake Bay in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Born and raised in Salisbury, Maryland, the proud son of Edward and Mary Ruth Hearn, Ron was a kind-hearted man with an easy smile who made quick friends in every phase of his short life.

Ron, also known as "Lefty," graduated from Wicomico High School in 1957, where he made many friends playing football, basketball and baseball. He had a love of sport that began in his early years while spending countless hours at the Salvation Army Boys Club.

After graduation, he married his high school sweetheart, Frances Irene Parks, and enlisted in the US Air Force. Most of his enlisted time was spent at Truax Air National Guard Base in Madison, Wisconsin where his son, David, and daughter, Sondra, were born. Ron was honorably discharged in 1964 and returned to Salisbury, where he built a home just down the street from his parents on Carey Avenue.

Shortly after his return to Maryland, Ron accepted a job with Suburban Propane in Fruitland where he initially worked in the field and was later promoted to Service Manager. He worked for the same company for 35 years and in 1999 retired at the age of 60.

Ron was a loving and devoted son, husband, father and grandfather, who put his family first and foremost in his life. He attended every event his children participated in and he was a positive motivator throughout their lives. He loved youth sports and was actively involved in coaching and other support roles at the Salvation Army Boys Club and the Fruitland Little League. He also enjoyed watching, rooting for and talking about his much-loved Orioles and Maryland Terrapins.

In 1977, Ron married his beloved wife, Barbara Gilliss, and two families became one — Ron with his two children, and Barbara with her son, Jay, whom he loved like his own son. Together they shared a home on Magnolia Drive, which became the center of many family gatherings over the next 30 years. The couple enjoyed spending time gardening, working on home improvement projects and spoiling their dogs, first Inky, the poodle, and then Ginger, the puggle.

Both Barbara and Ron took tremendous pride in the success and independence of their three children.

After Barbara was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, Ron cared for her at home for several years before moving to Virginia Beach in 2014, where he was able to find a higher level of care for her, while being close to his son and his family. During that period, he cherished simple family gatherings and spending time with his son and grandson.

Ron also enjoyed making new friends at Westminster Canterbury, where he received quality care over the past year. He took comfort in knowing that his wife was well cared for at Bay Lake Memory Garden and he visited her often.

Ron is survived by his wife, Barbara; son and daughter-in-law, David and Joyce Hearn; daughter, Sondra Hearn; brother and sister-in-law, Frank and Ginger Hearn; stepson and wife, Jay and Dixie Gilliss; and grandson Blake Hearn.

A funeral service will be held at 11:00 AM on Monday, June 20, 2016 at Holloway Funeral Home in Salisbury. A visitation will be held one hour prior to the service. Burial will immediately follow in Springhill Memory Gardens near Hebron.

Arrangements are in the care of Holloway Funeral Home, P.A., 501 Snow Hill Road, Salisbury, MD 21804. To send condolences to the family, please visit www.hollowayfh.com.