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BORN
1936
DIED
2025
FUNERAL HOME
Ronald Kana Obituary
July 12, 1936 - August 13, 2025
Ronald (Ron) K. Kana, 89, of Hickory, N.C. passed away August 13, 2025, at the Charles George Veterans Hospital Valor Hospice in Asheville, N.C.
Mr. Kana was born in 1936 in Youngstown, Ohio. Following high School, he enlisted in the United States Air Force where he suffered a severe neck injury in a jeep accident. Despite the accident he was able to serve for four years in the Air Force. He worked as a letter carrier for the United States Postal Service retiring in 1990. He married Katherine J. Heltz in 1961 and became the stepfather to five children.
Following retirement, Mr. Kana and his wife moved to Spring Hill, Fla. where he enjoyed playing golf and singing while playing his keyboard. He was known for his wonderful sense of humor and his overt kindness to everyone he met.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Paul and Virginia Kana, of Youngstown, Ohio; his wife, Katherine; his brothers, William and Raymond Connelly; his stepdaughter, Dianne Royall; and grandsons, Matthew Vandett and Ronnie Abrams.
He is survived by his sister, Kristina Booth (Joe) of Macdonald, Ohio; brother, Thomas Connelly (Connie) of Austintown, Ohio; sister, Kathy Long (Charle) of Austintown, Ohio; stepchildren, W. Ric Vandett (Angela) of Hickory, NC, JoAnn Scott (Bill) of Youngstown, Ohio, John Heltz of Cornelius, NC, and Debe Lutz of Manhattan, Kansas. He is also survived by 17 grandchildren; 50 great-grandchildren; 31 great-great-grandchildren; and numerous nieces and nephews.
A memorial service will be held in the chapel of St. Luke's United Methodist Church in Hickory, NC on Saturday, August 23, at 2 p.m. His ashes, along with those of his wife, will be placed in the St. Luke's UMC Columbarium.
The family would like to thank the nurses and doctors of Vapor Hospice for their kindness and Loving care of our loved one. In lieu of flowers, people are asked to donate to Valor Hospice, c/o Charles George Veterans Hospital, 1100 Tunnell Road, Asheville, NC, 28805.
To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.
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Bass-Smith Funeral Home and Crematory - Hickory334 2nd Street NW, Hickory, NC 28601
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