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Old 04-03-2021, 05:02 PM   #1
mfdanko99
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Default Ron Eell Passing Away

It is with great sorrow that I must send out this email. Our club lost a very valuable member Ron Eells.
Ron brought a different style of paddling to the club. He was a retired river guide on the Youghioghney River. He taught many of us a lot of whitewater strokes and eddying out of currents and peeling out back into the current to ferrying across the river.
He showed us those whitewater strokes and how they can work on rec kayaks and gives us the paddler better control of the boats. Ron could do it all from whitewater kayaking to sea kayaking and canoeing. Ron loved to paddle and I say this in a good way; he was a river rat. When we would do side trips to Slippery Rock, Connoquenessing Creek, or other whitewater trips he looked like a kid on Christmas morning.
One of Ron's biggest accomplishments he told me about was getting to successfully paddle the Upper Yough (Class IV & V) with former Olympic paddlers. He called it rubbing elbows with the big boys.

Ron helped bring the idea of indoor pool sessions to the club for basic safety & paddling to a roll session. He was always looking out for other paddlers and offering advice to anyone who would listen. At times he would go so fast that I would get so confused and he would eventually realize I was at step 1 where he was at step 10 of a stroke. :)

He was the guy you always saw in that little blue whitewater kayak with his gold helmet or his 18ft yellow sea kayak to his old town canoe.
For me personally he was more than a friend; he was a paddling mentor that helped guide me into whitewater kayaking and solo canoeing. I know he helped many others in the club and will be missed.

Ron's obituary
https://www.morningjournalnews.com/o...ald-jay-eells/
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Old 04-03-2021, 05:03 PM   #2
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Lisbon — Ronald Jay Eells, 70, died Thursday, April 1, 2021 at Salem Regional Medical Center following a brief illness.

Born March 31, 1951 in Salem, he was a son of the late Jay W. and Janice M. (Freshley) Eells.

A carpenter, Ron had worked for various local contractors, including Gary Simpson, for many years. He also worked as a paddling instructor and maintenance man at Seven Springs resort from 1999 to 2004.

Ron was a 1969 graduate of Beaver Local High School and a former member of New Lisbon Presbyterian Church. A great outdoorsman, he enjoyed canoeing, kayaking, hiking, rock climbing and ice climbing as well as camping. He was also a Scout leader and member of the Trumbull Canoe & Trails Paddling Club.

Survivors include his children Corrie (David) David and Clay Eells, both of Lisbon; his life partner Linda Eells of Lisbon; a brother, Russell Eells of Fernandina Beach, FL; and 12 grandchildren: DJ, Natalee, Mason, Amelia, Eloriana, Ryah-Grace, Gemma, Seth, Zion, Nicholas, Nathan, and Hayden.

Public visitation will be observed from 5 to 8 PM Monday at the Weber Funeral Home.

View this obituary and leave condolences at www.weberfh.com.
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Old 04-03-2021, 08:09 PM   #3
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Default Thoughts on Ron

I am extremely shocked and saddened to learn that our good friend and fellow paddler, Ron Eells, has passed away. Our club has lost a great asset.

Ron exuded The River, and he approached the sport of paddling with true professionalism. We could see this in how would strive to teach new and not-so-new boaters the correct way to paddle. We could see it in how he conducted himself on our trips–always wearing a helmet in his whitewater kayak regardless of a river’s difficulty, never cutting corners on safety, and always working to perfect his own strokes. Over the time that Ron belonged to Trumbull Canoe Trails, I believe that he elevated significantly the collective paddling skills and river sense of the club. Mike Danko credits Ron with a decrease in the frequency of boaters flipping on our trips. Personally, I always felt more confidence hitting the water when Ron was along.

I feel blessed and privileged to have shared the river with Ron during his last paddling trip–a run down Little Beaver Creek from Sprucevale to Ohioville in early March. I can still see him sitting calmly in the eddy below Eagle Rapid as I clunked through a clumsy, paddle-switching left turn to hit the slot on river left, wondering what he must have been thinking.

We could all see that Ron was struggling in the past few years when he was not in his kayak, but, true to TCT tradition, everyone was happy to help him in and out of his boat. He seemed determined to carry on. I hope you are now resting peacefully in that big heavenly eddy, my friend. You will be greatly missed.

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Old 04-04-2021, 04:43 AM   #4
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I was shocked and saddened also. Talk about a guy who really loved to paddle and be on the river. He shared his paddling wisdom with everyone. Ron will be missed.
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Old 04-04-2021, 04:40 PM   #5
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Dianne and I were also shocked and saddened to learn that Ron had passed away. He was not only a fellow paddler but he was also a friend.

When we purchased our canoe and joined the club, Ron was beside us on many trips coaching us and teaching us how to paddle it properly. It’s because of Ron’s help that we decided to start paddling whitewater. We paddled with Ron and Friends in early March and I made a big mistake getting out of my canoe on the wrong side while stuck on rock in Beaver Creek. Ron kindly and professionally reminded me what to do in that situation.

This club was very important to Ron and he loved to paddle. He was willing to help anyone and everyone. He will be greatly missed.

Please keep Ron’s family in your prays at this time. It will be a big change in their lives also.

Dianne & Bruce Ambrose
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Old 04-05-2021, 12:00 AM   #6
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Mark and I were so shocked to hear of Ron’s passing. He was always willing to help everyone have a great day on the water. He always teased me that he was going to buy my Necky kayak. I told him they would pry it out of my cold dead hands but I would leave it to him when they did. Mark really doesn’t like it. Ron also told me I could paddle faster than my kayak would go and to add sequences of glide between paddle strokes to get the speed. I’m not sure if I explained this right but it sure works. He will be missed greatly in the upcoming paddling season. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family.
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