Ronnie Edney

Ronald (Ronnie) Gregory Edney

July 24, 1952 – August 13, 2021

Ronnie was born the fourth of seven children to Ralph & Dorthey Edney. He was adventuresome and carefree in his younger days and was an outstanding athlete in almost any sport. He excelled in baseball and football in high school. Graduation brought college but in the early 70’s you either went full-time to school or joined the military. Ronnie did go to school for one year but joined the Army when funds dried up. When Ronnie got out of the Army, he moved back to his home in Decatur, Alabama, to begin a family. Early on in that family, he had a son…Ryan Grant Edney. Ryan was his pride and joy and he spent as much time as he could with him teaching him to play ball, fish, etc. He worked for 30+ years for General Motors making tons of friends along the way. Ronnie was also a volunteer to help those in need.

For over a decade, Ronnie was a proud member of the Semper Fi Community Task Force of North Alabama. His heart and soul were a perfect fit for the organization. Always willing to give his time and full effort in every way, he would graciously participate as a driver for Heroes’ Week every year bringing the best of the best fellow volunteers, friends, and some of the best group of guys you would associate with to the event. He helped establish the core of drivers that would enhance the experience for the guests of Heroes’ Week and set the bar for the level of respect and admiration of our heroes the event was meant to convey. He was the kind of person you only come across in life very few times and surrounded himself with those who shared his enthusiasm for service and a good time. His smile was infectious, his attitude was always awesome, and his outlook on life was something we all could learn from. We are better people for knowing Ronnie.

Ronnie’s father was an Army WWII veteran, a brother was a USAF Vietnam veteran, and his son Ryan was a US Marine who served in Afghanistan.