It is with gratitude that we will gather to honor and celebrate the life of Ronald Paul Searcy. God blessed Ron with a long and fruitful life for nearly ninety years. What a joy when Beryl and Tom Searcy welcomed their only child into this world on August 17, 1936. Ron grew up in Albany, Missouri where he spent his formative years as a child in an idyllic small town where he learned the value of community, kindness, and respect. After being very active, experiencing and creating all kinds of fun, Ron graduated from Albany High School in 1954. Ron headed into the next phase of his life with a new kind of freedom and independence by driving a whopping thirty-eight miles westward to Northwest Missouri State College. There he met Gay Watson, who he married in 1958. They became parents of daughters, Jill and Jane. As a new husband and father, he began a long and esteemed career in banking and finance. He furthered his education by completing his master’s degree in business administration at Creighton University. Ron enjoyed teaching various college classes in business, banking, finance, accounting, and was an investment counselor for Bellevue University, Buena Vista University, and Iowa Western Community College. He was most proud of his students and prompted them to obtain additional education with advanced degrees. Teaching was something he really enjoyed, and he was threading it into his life while maintaining a successful banking career.
In his teaching and in his career, Ron knew the power of integrity, sincerity, a smile, and a good solid handshake. Ron especially enjoyed reading, fishing, hunting, and golfing. He was a great conversationalist as he studied both history and current events. Ron was a proud American who served in the National Guard, and treasured living in a democracy, believed in the rule of law, and the Constitution of the United States of America.
In 2008, Ron married Pam Canaday Word. This enlarged his family circle to include Pam’s sons, Brad and Scott Word. Pam and Ron loved to travel and entertain as they shared the joys that grandchildren and great grandchildren brought to their world. Ron enjoyed his affiliations with the Chamber of Commerce, Rotary Club, and was past Alumni Association President for Northwest Missouri State University. Of those interests, Rotary International was very dear to his heart and he was a ten-time Paul Harris Fellow. Ron thrived in the camaraderie of Rotary and took great pride in all the philanthropic work of Rotary International.
His devotion to family, church, friends, and charitable work was integral to the character of this fine man. Ronald Paul Searcy was a true gentleman who sought to share with others the blessings that God had bestowed upon him. This was a life well-lived.
Ron is survived by his wife, Pam, of the home in Albany, Missouri; his daughters: Jane Parry (Gordon) Omaha, NE, and Jill Grundy, Council Bluffs, IA; step-sons: Brad (Diana) Word, McCaysville, GA; and Scott (Andrea) Word, Newport Beach, CA; grandchildren: Morgan (Randy) Burnham, Hannah and Hunter Parry, Parker Grundy, and step-grandchildren: Alec, Jonathan, Kylie, and Max Word.
A celebration of Ron’s life will be held on Friday, February 20 at 11:00 AM at the Albany United Methodist Church. Ron had requested that his memorial be to The Albany Legacy Fund with notation that the Rigney Theater be specified as the recipient, or to Rotary International, or Shriner’s Hospital for Children or Hoff Family Arts and Culture Center in Council Bluffs, IA. These memorials can be sent to Roberson Polley Chapel, 403 N. Hundley, Albany, MO 64402.
