Obituary – Ronald Paliskis
Ronald Paliskis
KENNESAW, GA – Ronald Paliskis passed away on March 28, 2024 at the age of 83. He recently became a resident of Kennesaw, GA.
Ronald was born in Struthers, Ohio on June 17, 1940 to Ben and Betty Paliskis. He outlived his older brother, Gene, and younger sister, Mandy. He had lived a long time with congestive heart failure and COPD that recently overcame his body’s ability to manage. This resulted in multiple visits to Kennestone Hospital and finally at Tranquility, the Wellstar Hospice facility at Kennesaw Mountain where he passed with his loving wife of almost 59 years, Carolyn, at his side.
He is survived by his wife Carolyn Paliskis and children Eugene (Kelly), Pamela (Simon) and Alayna (Brian and grandchild Owen), nephew Jarrett (Lisa and great niece Maddie), niece Liz and nephew Matthew (Linda and great nephews Ben and Xavy).
Ronald was better known as Ron, Uncle Ronnie or Mr. P to the friends of his children and kids that he coached. Being born with asthma in a steel mill town taught him to fight, sometimes for every breath. He led a very active life participating in Boy Scouts, Football and Track during his high school years.
Ron fell in love with Aylen Lake, Canada at a young age. The family purchased a plot on the lake in 1947. He helped to clear the land and construct the cabins and boathouse on the property. Aylen Lake would become a gathering place for the family throughout his life leaving him with happy memories from multiple generations.
He started college at Youngstown State but took a semester off and was drafted into the military. One of the stories in his book, “Ron, A Coke Alley Boy” details this Vietnam, Cold War era draft experience. Ron entered the Air Force and was initially posted in Anchorage Alaska where he survived the 1964 Alaska Earthquake that registered 9.2 on the Richter scale and lasted nearly 4 and a half minutes (the largest in Continental History). From there he transferred to Grand Forks, North Dakota where the winter was actually colder than Alaska.
Ron worked at the University of North Dakota on some of the first IBM processing machines as well as the Air Force. He had a grad assistant at UND some people might have heard of – Phil Jackson. More importantly, he met the love of his life and wife for almost 59 years, Carolyn Owens. They wed and had their first child, Eugene, while in Grand Forks.
Ron left the Air Force and they moved back to Ohio where he worked for NCR as a programmer. There they had their second child, Pamela.
He was then transferred to Atlanta, GA where they had their third child, Alayna. While in Georgia, Ron worked for Reader & McGahey and then All-American Bowling as a programmer/systems analyst.
In his spare time, Ron coached football and baseball and served as president of the Midway Youth Football Association. If something needed to be done to give opportunities to his children, including niece (Liz) and nephews (Jarrett & Matt), he volunteered to do it. Eventually All-American Bowling was purchased by AMF and they brought Ron to Richmond, VA. They greatly enjoyed the country house in Virginia but after losing Carolyn’s mother to dementia, Ron and Carolyn moved to Bristol, FL to help take care of Odell Owens, who had become ill.
Ron stood out in this little community as the only Ohio State Buckeye fan in the region so he displayed it proudly. He was a regular parishioner at St. Francis Catholic Church in Blountstown, FL.
By the time he moved to Kennesaw, GA, his health did not allow him to establish a regular relationship with the local Catholic Church. But having grown up in a devout family, served as an altar boy and found Catholic Churches to attend at all stages of his life, it should not have been a surprise that he passed within 30 minutes of being given last rites. As was mentioned at the beginning, he went through life without fear and that is how he faced his death. His laugh and smile will be well remembered and missed by his loved ones and everyone who was lucky enough to know him.
The family will be holding a memorial service for him Saturday, July 20 at 10 a.m. at St Francis of Assisi Catholic Church, located at 16498 Gaskins Road in Blountstown.
About Author
