Ronald ”shoe” Eugene Shoemaker

Ronald Eugene “Shoe” Shoemaker, age 70 of Strasburg, passed away suddenly Wednesday evening, January 18, 2012, the result of an apparent heart attack.Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, June 29, 1941, he was the son of the late Gene Stanley and Gertrude Elizabeth (Shook) Shoemaker. After graduating from Freeport High School in Pennsylvania, Ron enrolled in Thiel College where he obtained his bachelor’s degree in business administration in 1963. He was a member of the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity. There, he also met and fell in love with his lifelong companion, the former Marion I. Norris, whom he wed October 11, 1963.Ron made a difference in the lives of others in a variety of ways. For nearly thirty years, he served as the manager for the transportation, warehouse, shipping and packaging departments of the former Smurfit Stone Container, retiring in 2004, having earned the goodwill and friendship of many of his colleagues and co-workers. His former college sought him out to serve in a leadership capacity as a member of the board of directors of the Thiel Alumni Association.Ron’s memberships also included the Tuscarawas County Traffic Managers Association, the Good Sam Camping Club, the Model Railroad Association chapters on both Cambridge and Akron, and the Strasburg Village Golf League. Ron and his family are longtime members of Strasburg’s First Lutheran Church.Ron was an avid Pittsburgh Steelers fan. In his spare time, he enjoyed gardening, photography, and boating at his Pennsylvania cabin, and of course, golf.Ron loved golfing with his league and family. For 2 years, Ron was on the Golf Channel Senior Amateur Tour. He was a 6-time Snead flight champion on the local tours including winning the Longaberger event twice. He was a champion at Oak Tree and Totteridge in 2011. He was Fall Classic champion at Oglebay and a 2-time top finisher in Regional Majors at Swan Lake and Greenbrier in 2011.Ron will be sadly missed by a loving family that includes his wife, Marion of Strasburg; his daughters, Susan (Rick) Clayton of Cambridge Springs, PA, Cindy (Kirk) Chapman of Doylestown, O., and son, Brian (Connie) Shoemaker of Butler, PA.Five grandchildren, Ashley and Matthew Clayton and Jacob, Hannah, and Rachel Shoemaker; his 5 granddogs; and numerous cousins complete the family. Friends are invited to call Sunday afternoon from 1 to 5 in the Geib Funeral Center at 5600 North Wooster Avenue, Dover. The Rev. Dr. Clyde A. McGee and The Rev. Robert A. Johnson, Interim Pastor, will officiate the funeral service celebrating Ron’s life, Monday morning at 10 a.m. in Strasburg’s First Lutheran Church, where the family will also receive friends one hour prior to the service. Burial will follow in Grandview Union Cemetery at Strasburg, where the committal service will conclude with a 21 Golf Salute in Ron’s honor.Friends are invited to the church fellowship hall following the committal service where Ron’s church family will host a reception.The Shoemaker family requests that memorial contributions be made to the First Lutheran Church, 211 8th St. Strasburg, O. 44680 or to the Thiel College Alumni Association, 75 College Ave., Roth Hall 2nd Floor, Greenville, PA 16125.