Ronald Edward Deal

1943 - 2025

Ronald (Ron) Edward Deal

June 18, 1943 - September 21, 2025

Ronald Edward "Ron" Deal, 82, of Hickory, N.C., passed away peacefully at his home on September 21, 2025, surrounded by his family.

Born on June 18, 1943, in Hickory, to the late Harold E. Deal and Margaret Suggs Deal, Ron grew up in Hickory, graduated from Hickory High School, and attended Wake Forest University. There, he was an active member of the Kappa Sigma fraternity through which he met many of his closest and dearest friends.

After graduating from Wake Forest in 1965, Ron followed in the footsteps of his maternal grandfather and parents and returned home to join the family upholstery manufacturing business, Highland House. Ron learned the business quickly and led the company until its sale in 1986. In 1989, Ron, along with lifelong friends Jack West and William Whitener, as well as his son and a group of loyal sales representatives, founded the upholstery manufacturer, Wesley Hall. Ron was the driving force behind Wesley Hall for nearly 30 years. He grew the company to over 250 employees and paved the way for a 5th generation of family leadership.

In addition to a successful career in the furniture industry, Ron actively participated in various community organizations spanning education and banking. His contributions extended to serving as a Life Trustee for Wake Forest University and holding board positions at Southern National Bank, BB&T Corporation, the North Carolina State Board of Community Colleges, the North Carolina State Board of Education, and the Catawba County Foresight Commission. Ron was a fervent advocate for education, serving as the inaugural chair of Catawba County's Champions of Education and supporting several local preschool programs. Along with the guidance and support of his wife Sandra, Ron and his family endowed an early childhood literacy program through Lenoir Rhyne University called the Little Read to honor their daughter, Sara Deal Temple. The program brought countless children's authors to our community and distributed thousands of books to local elementary school children.

Above his professional and community interests, Ron was fiercely proud of his family. Married for over 60 years to his wife, Sandra, he loved nothing more than being with his three children, seven grandchildren, and one great-grandchild. "Pepa" especially loved traveling with his grandchildren, and cooking meals for large family gatherings where he relished taking on the lions share of the work. In addition to being the anchor of his family, Ron regularly found ways to quietly and selflessly offer his time and resources to others. He will be greatly missed, not only by his family, but by countless others who benefitted from his generosity.

In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his brother, Max E. Deal (Jackie), and daughter, Sara Deal Temple (Jack).

He is survived by his beloved wife, Sandra Butler Deal; son, Eddie Deal (Jennifer) of Hickory; daughter, Anne Bradshaw (Patrick) of Chattanooga; grandchildren, Marshall Deal (Alex), Emily Deal, Jack Temple, Sam Deal, Sara Catherine Bradshaw, Jim Bradshaw, and Sierra Temple; great-grandchild, Margaret Josephine Deal; sister, Suzanne Wells (Andy) of Hickory; and numerous nieces and nephews.

A service to celebrate Ron's life will be held at First Presbyterian Church, 237 2nd Street, NW, Hickory, N.C.,on Sunday, September 28, at 2:30. The family will receive friends immediately following the service in the Fellowship Hall. The service will also be livestreamed by the church.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Catawba County Partnership for Children, or the Deal Family Scholarship at Wake Forest University (go.wfu.edu/dealfamilyscholarship).

The Deal family will be forever grateful to our father's exceptional caregivers: Jannies, Railyn, Desiree, Shante, Nettie, and Kim, as well as to the staff at Carolina Caring.

Bass-Smith Funeral Home in Hickory is serving the Deal family.