Ron Day was born Nov. 2, 1945, at Greenville General Hospital. His father was in the Army and did not get to see him until he was 10 months old. Ron was raised in the Pickens Mill Village. He lived on Jones Street.

He attended Hagood Elementary School from the first through the seventh grade and graduated from Pickens High School in 1963. While he was in high school, he worked at Finley’s Supermarket, located on Main Street. He was 17 years old when he graduated from high school, but was able to get a job working at Winn-Dixie.

When he turned 18, he started working at the Singer Plant. He worked there while he attended Tri-County Technical School in Pendleton. The school had just been completed. He graduated from there in 1968 with a degree in engineering. He was in the school’s first graduating class.

Carol Baker/Courier

Ron and Deborah Day have a band called Four Him that sings at nursing homes, churches and other venues.

While he was working at Singer, he was promoted five times within two years. He went from spray painting to quality control to production control to engineering. He worked there for five years before enlisting into the Navy.

He took his training at Great Lakes Boot Camp in Michigan. He was there for 12 weeks before being transferred to Jacksonville, Fla., for training to do electrical work for the aircraft. He was then transferred to Pensacola, Fla.

Ron flew with the Navy Blue Angels Skipper Harley Hall on the F4 Phantom from 1969 to 1970. He was the Skipper’s crew chief. He got that position because he had studied the plane and learned so much about it. He was able to work on it if necessary. They flew all across the United States, Canada and South America. After leaving the Navy Blue Angels, Harley was transferred to Vietnam. He was the last person killed there.

Ron’s ship was the Independence (CVA-62). He sailed to Europe — going to Spain, Athens, Greece, Scotland and Turkey. He served in the Navy for four years and was discharged with the rank of E5.

A talented musician, Ron taught himself to play the guitar. He said he picked up his dad’s old Gene Autry guitar and played his first chord when he was 12 years old.

His wife, Deborah, sings, and they have a band called Four Him. Deborah said they play and sing at nursing homes, churches and wherever God leads them. They are members of Northside Baptist Church on Sangamo Road in Pickens.

Ron and Deborah dated for eight and a half years before they married on Aug. 17, 1985. They live in the house that Ron bought when he was 18 years old. He has a recording studio in the backyard.

They have three children together, four grandsons, three granddaughters and one great-granddaughter. They have another great-grandchild due in May. They are very proud of their family.

Photo courtesy Ron Day

Pickens native Ron Day, right, goes to Pensacola, Fla., every other year for the Navy Blue Angels reunion.

Ron retired from Easley Custom Plastics in 2007. He worked there for 33 years as an electrician. He took a state test and received his master’s electrical license that allows him to do electrical work anywhere in the state of South Carolina. Even though he is retired, he said he stays busy doing electrical work for anyone who needs him.

Ron said he is proud to be a veteran. He has so many memories of his time in the Navy. He keeps in touch with a lot of the friends he made while he was in service. Every other year, he and Deborah go to Pensacola, Fla., for the Navy Blue Angels reunion.

Easley resident Carol Baker highlights interesting local residents and helps us get to know more about the fascinating people who call Pickens County home. If you have someone somewhere who you think people should know about, contact us at news@thepccourier.com.