Ronald “Ron” Douglas Hood, 82, passed away on Wednesday, October 17, 2018, in Cleveland, Tennessee.
Born and raised in Adamsville, Al., Ron spent the majority of his life in Cleveland, where he worked as a graphic designer. In 1954, Ron entered military service with the army and was stationed in Germany. After being discharged, Ron completed formal art training at Gulf States Art School in Birmingham and, upon graduation, was hired by Hayes International Corporation as a technical illustrator, working on illustrating Air Force flight handbooks and manuals. He and his wife, Janice Paul Hood, and two daughters, Pam and Kay, later moved to Huntsville, Al., where Ron worked with Brown Engineering, a firm contracted with NASA, at Redstone Arsenal. Ron provided illustrations for the Saturn program and in 1966 was honored with an award by the National Association of Industrial Artists in Washington D.C. for his work.
In 1968, Ron was offered a position as Art Director for Pathway Press in Cleveland. There, he worked for the publishing firm and for other extensions of the Church of God denomination for many years. He served as a faithful member of Westmore Church of God and served with the Optimist Club and the Art League of Athens. In 1991, Ron and Jan moved back to Alabama to care for their elderly parents. There, he continued working as an Art Director for a local printing firm that served, among other clients, the University of Alabama.
In 2004, Ron and Jan returned to Cleveland, where Ron continued to do design and illustration work on a contract basis, but at this time he took up his love for painting and portraiture in earnest. He was a gifted artist, and his favorite subjects were portraits, nature, and scenes from Europe and Great Britain.
Ron was known to all as a gentle and humble man, the very picture of faithfulness to his friends and family. His absence will be keenly felt by all.
He is survived by his wife of 60 years, Janice Paul Hood; his daughters and sons-in-law, Pam and Keith Roberts, and Kay and Barry Johnson; his grandchildren, Isaac and Michael Johnson, and Brian (Stephanie) and Brad (Jenna) Roberts; and his three great grandchildren, Bentley, Reagan, and Olive Roberts.
A celebration of life for Ronald “Ron” D. Hood will be held at 4 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 21, at Jim Rush Funeral Home North Ocoee Street Chapel in Cleveland. A time of visitation will precede the service from 2-4 p.m.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks for donations to be made to Samaritan’s Place Orphanage. Give online at http://www.friendsofsp.com/ or send donations to Friends of Samaritan’s Place, P.O. Box 2276, Cleveland, Tn. 37320-2276.
Jim Rush Funeral and Cremation Services North Ocoee Street Chapel is in charge of the arrangements.