Tribute to Ron Heasley

Tribute to Ron Heasley: The Forest County Historical Society is saddened by the death of Ron Heasley. Ron was a guy who could never be replaced. Ron grew up in Tionesta and always carried the love of his hometown with him. He traveled to many places in the world but returned to Tionesta to retire. When Ron retired in 2017, Ron said he would take a year off and then decide what he wanted to get into. The Forest County Historical Society was blessed that he decided we would be one of the recipients of his heart-felt generosity. I think he chose our organization because his mother, Wilma Heasley, had been a lifelong member and had also served on the Board of Directors.

Ron was the current President of the Forest County Historical Society. He joined in 2018 and started leading right away as a Secretary to the FCHS Board of Directors. He was very generous with his time and his resources. At one time he worked long into the night to learn about lumbering and how to display our lumber tools in our Lumber Camp. Ron attended most all of the events sponsored by the Board in his six-year tenure. He put his education and experiences to work as he took care of all of our technological needs. Ron tried to improve the relationship between all the sides of the forest. He also worked to generate an ongoing fundraiser of license plates and T-shirts. He was a regular docent at the museum and loved to show visitors around as he talked about the county he loved. His legacy will now contribute to that of his family who grew up and experienced life together here “in the forest”.

“What you leave behind is not what is engraved in stone monuments, but what is woven into the lives of others.” – Pericles