Ronald Summers, 76

Ronald (Ron) Lee Summers, passed away on Sunday, November 17, 2019, at the age of 76, surrounded by his loving family. He was born in Centreville on September 26, 1943, to William Ronald and Evelyn Etna (Hill) Summers.
Ron grew up in Leonidas, working at his parents Shell station.  That’s where he realized his love of cars and painted his first car at 15 years old.  He graduated from Colon High School in 1961 and worked various jobs before being hired at Chuck’s Body Shop in Three Rivers in 1963, where he continued to repair and paint vehicles until he retired in 2009.
Saturday evenings, after hours, the Shell Station was always filled with country music.  Family and friends would show up with their guitars and have a jam session. This is where Ron picked up his love of country music. From the early days to the current country music of today, Ron loved it all.
In 1963, he married his true love Sharon Lea Lash and welcomed a daughter in 1966 and a son in 1969.  Holidays were always filled with family and his brother, Bill, would always play country music with his guitar.
Ron and Sharon spent their early years camping with their kids.  He took a brand-new extended van, cut the roof off it and added a taller extended top so he could stand up in it.  He built the inside of the van with a stove, refrigerator, sink, and beds so Sharon had all the amenities.  His type of camping was to park in the middle of nowhere with loads of family and friends surrounding a campfire every weekend.
After retiring, both he and Sharon spent lots of time in South Haven enjoying Lake Michigan on their boat. They loved going fishing and having weekend get togethers with family and friends.  They always enjoyed people stopping by to visit.
In 2015, Ron & Sharon moved north where he turned a small 24 x 24 hunting cabin (with no bathroom) into a beautiful home double that size.  He designed and made the kitchen cabinets and drawers and learned to lay hardwood floors.  Woodworking was a large portion of his creativity and enjoyment.  If you needed something built, he was your guy.
And, of course, he had to have a pole barn larger than the house for all of his toys.
In the early years, Ron hunted with his Father-in-Law and lots of relatives on state land near Manton. Later on, Ron would hunt with his Son and Son-in-Law when they could.  He only bagged 3 deer in his life but really enjoyed being in the woods with nature.  After retiring, Ron and Sharon started to feed the deer in the winter months.  They loved to see them with their fawns, but unfortunately that stopped when the baiting rule went into effect.  They “deer-ly” miss their animal friends.
Ron was preceded in death by his parents and brother William (Bill). Left to cherish Ron’s memory are his wife of 56 years: Sharon Lea Summers; children: Teri (Tom) Reick and Ron (Mischa Tucker) Summers; grandchildren: Jordyn (Alex) Cornell, Brittany (Mike Birge) Summers, Brandon (Shelly Gruber) Summers, Mischa Summers, Stephen Butler, Seth Butler, and Samuel Butler; great grandchildren: Caleb Cornell, Leonard Baldwin III, Carter Lee Summers, Mya Contreras, and Isiah Tyler-Maxson, and Sister-in-Law: Bonita (Bonnie) Summers, and numerous nieces and nephews.
In accordance with Ron’s wishes, cremation has taken place and a celebration of his life will be held at Hohner Funeral Home on Saturday, November 23, 2019, with visitation from 10:00 a.m. until time of service at 11:00 a.m.  Pastor Ted Koehl will be officiating.
Memorials made in Ron’s memory may be directed to The Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital Foundation or Autumnwood of McBain. Envelopes are available at Hohner Funeral Home. Online condolences may be left at www.hohnerfh.com