Ron Penn Easterly

1948 - 2024

Ron Penn Easterly

October 15, 1948 - May 4, 2024

Lexington, Kentucky - Ronald Penn Easterly, 75, passed away on May 4, 2024, after a four-year battle with cancer. In 2020, doctors told him he had months to live, but Ron dismissed this diagnosis. He had too much more life to experience. Ron was born in Columbus, Ohio on October 15, 1948, to Edgar and Ethel Easterly. The family moved to Frankfort, Kentucky, when he was a child. He graduated from Franklin County High School in 1966, having successfully played third-baseman on the baseball team and quarterback on the football team. He attended Indiana University, graduated from the University of Kentucky, married Vicki Waits, and joined the U.S. Marine Corps. Ron and Vicki had two sons, Chad and Chris. He recognized both his sons' unique interests and encouraged them. He went hunting and fishing with Chad and took Chris to the movies. He never forced them to be something they were not but affirmed their individual passions and goals. Then he set an example by pursuing his own in midlife… Ron always dreamed of being a medical doctor, so after serving as a Marine and working for OSHA for nearly 20 years, he applied to medical school. He gained a Navy Reserves scholarship to attend the University of Louisville and started pursuing his dream. It didn't matter that by then, he was middle-aged. For Ron, it was never too late to dream and achieve. He graduated medical school, then went on to serve in his third branch of the armed services, the Army Reserves. He served three military tours in Iraq in his 50s, using his medical skills and knowledge to help prevent the outbreak of disease there. He was not a moral supporter of the wars, but he served his country faithfully. He retired as a Lieutenant Colonel. He ended his career as an epidemiologist, first in West Virginia and finally for the Commonwealth of Kentucky, retiring in 2023. Along the way, he taught in several places, including at Marshall University. Ron was always full of energy, positive, and upbeat around everyone he encountered. He made you feel better. That was true for his family as well as his many beloved friends. In 2012, Ron reconnected with Marilynn Holt Cunningham and began a beautiful love story, leading to their marriage in 2019. With that marriage came a bonus family, and all involved were blessed. He is survived by his beloved wife Marilynn; sons Chad (Jenny) and Chris (Carol) Easterly; Ronda (John) Webber, Robert (Abby) Cunningham, Rachel (Daryl) Swartzentruber; brothers Edgar Ernest III, Ellis Eugene, and James Chappell Easterly; grandchildren Sophia and Makayla Easterly; Grayson and Noah Webber; Holt, Charlie, Owen and Henry Cunningham; and Ruth, Micah, Miriam, and Clara Swartzentruber. He was preceded in death by his best friend and older brother, Charles Thomas, a former Kentucky senator, who died in 2005. Ron was a faithful Christian, confirmed in the Lutheran Church as a teen. When his doctor asked him where he wanted to die, Ron said, "I don't care where I die because I know where I'm going." Ron loved the movie Ferris Bueller's Day Off. In the movie, Ferris says: "Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it." Ron Easterly didn't miss it. He lived life to the fullest and made everyone around him better for it. A Celebration of Life Service will be held on Sat., May 11, 2024, at 11:00 am at Tates Creek Presbyterian Church in Lexington, Kentucky. A time of visitation will follow immediately after the service. In lieu of flowers, the family welcomes donations to Tates Creek Presbyterian Church (3900 Rapid Run Dr., Lexington, KY 40515) in Ron's memory. www.milwardfuneral.com