Memorial Services for Ronald “Ron” J. Ford, Age 84 will be held at The Jesus-Christ Church of Latter Day Saints, West Plains, Missouri, beginning at 4:00 PM.
Arrangements under the direction of Always Faithful Memorial Services, West Plains, Missouri.
Ronald John Ford, 84, passed away on September 11, 2026, at his son’s home in West Plains, Missouri. He was the ninth of ten children born to Zadok James and Hannah Greenhalgh Ford.
Ron was an educator who taught in Las Vegas, Overton, and Almo, Nevada; Berlin, Germany, through a Fulbright-Hays Scholarship; Bullfrog, Utah; and Kanab, Utah, where he retired.
A member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, he served in many roles, including branch president, scouting leader, and teacher. He served a mission to southern Germany and, with his wife, served in the Family History Mission in Salt Lake City and in a live-at-home mission in the St. George, Utah Mission, assigned to the Kanab Stake. They also spent a year in Nanjing, China, teaching English at Nanjing University and music at a military kindergarten.
Ron was a loving husband who enjoyed many adventures with family and friends, including trips to the Holy Land, Alaska, Missouri’s blue waters, and Native American petroglyph sites in the Southwest.
He loved to sing and had a beautiful voice, performing solos in Messiah concerts in Kanab, serving as choir president in the Family History Mission, and participating in many plays wherever he lived.
He served in the Air Force and the Army Reserves. He also enjoyed volleyball, basketball, and football, and his church basketball and volleyball teams won many trophies. At age 80, he placed second in a 10K race two years in row.
Ron is survived by his wife of 65 years, Nancy Ann Taylor Ford; three children, Alysann (Craig Collotzi) of Salt Lake City, Utah, Tristann (Josh Gordon) of Salt Lake City, Utah, and Hannon (Holly Stevenson) of West Plains, Missouri; 10 grandchildren; two great-granddaughters; and one brother, Blair Ford.
He was preceded in death by his 16-year-old son, John Ruston Ford, and many other family members and friends.
The family would like to give a special thanks to all who helped take care of him
