Ronald Ray LaFerney, 75, passed from his earthly home on January 24, 2024, with his wife by his side. He was born February 19, 1948, in Tyler, Texas, to Dallas Ray and Evelyn Brooks LaFerney. A lifelong Texan, he lived in several Texas cities as a child. In 1959 the family settled in Mesquite, Texas, where Ron graduated from Mesquite High School in 1966. He played football for the Skeeters and was a member of the Key Club. He attended East Texas State University and University of Texas at Arlington before proudly serving in the Marine Corps. In 1993, Ronald graduated with a degree in Economics from the University of Texas at Dallas.
In 1968, Ron met the love of his life, Martha Brown, at ETSU. After his active-duty service in the US Marine Corps Reserves, they married on New Years Eve in 1971 in Fort Worth, Texas, and celebrated over 52 years of marriage. At the time of his death, they resided in McKinney, Texas.
Ron worked as a technician for Southwestern Bell and AT&T for over 40 years until his retirement in 2010. He was a diehard Dallas Cowboys and Texas A&M Aggies fan. He was an avid fisherman and spent many days on the water with his brother. He loved to grill, especially ribs. He and Martha loved going to the movies, and Ron was also a competitive Bingo, poker, and slot machine player.
Ron and Martha traveled the world after their retirement. They loved to cruise and visited many places including Alaska, Australia/New Zealand, the Panama Canal, New England, and Nova Scotia. They also toured Canada and France.
He is survived by his loving wife, Martha; son, Carl and daughter-in-law Sam; granddaughter, Lucy; sisters, Diane McDowell of Meadowlakes, Texas, Jeanne Robinson (Robert) of Sparks, Nevada, and Debra Smith (Mike) of Irving, Texas; brother, Larry E. LaFerney of Dallas, Texas. He is also survived by several nieces and nephews and his best friend, Fred Dillard.
Ron was predeceased by his parents.
A visitation will be held from 1:00 p.m. until 3:00 p.m. Tuesday, January 30, 2024 at Turrentine Jackson Morrow Funeral Home, 2525 North Central Expressway, Allen, Texas 75013. Family and friends will gather at a later date to celebrate his life.
In lieu of flowers, Ron’s wish was donations to support St. Jude Hospital.