Ronald Eugene "Ronnie" English, Jr.

Ronnie Eugene English Jr. cannot be summed up in just a few words. Let me attempt to capture the essence of who Ronnie was to those of us who knew him and loved him. He was a man of passion and great work ethics. He lived life to the fullest and did not let speed limit signs, or laws, or rules hold him back from doing what he loved. Speeding down the straightaway of whatever road he found himself on, was his addiction and he took it whenever he could without shame, or regret. A CHEVY 8 CYLINDER was all that was good enough for Ronnie. A 454, or a 350 with as much power as he could possibly put in it was what he loved. If it ain't an 8, get it out the gate! Find an engine, build an engine, fix an engine, think about an engine, talk about an engine, what do you want to know about an engine, I’ll teach you how to work on an engine. That was who Ronnie was and it’s how he was wired. Ronnie himself was a machine and took life by the horns and made it bend to his will. He would not back down from anything. Ronnie never saw a mud hole too deep, or a hill too tall. He saw a challenge and it didn’t matter if it meant spending all night trying to get out of the mess he found himself and us in. He had one life to live and he was going to take advantage it. There would always be another day to work, there would not always be another day to live life to the fullest. Some of us envied that about Ronnie and some of us experienced it with him, whether we wanted to or not. In the end, we were better for it, having spent that time with him, even if in the moment we were mad as hell with him. With Ronnie, what mattered was us. We all mattered to Ronnie and he always made us feel important. Ronnie loved to hang out with his family and his friends and drink beer and live in the moment. He loved to make people feel welcomed and challenged us to live as he did and not to play it safe. We could live in the fast lane through him, if we were willing to take that ride. Ronnie was a good man who loved his wife, his kids, his family and his friends. He didn’t ask for much, but he gave all he had. He would give you the shirt off of his back, even if you didn’t ask for it. Ronnie knew what you needed sometimes even if you didn’t and he was always willing to help out. He shared the best of him and the worst of him with everyone. Ronnie lived his life the way he wanted to and his last years were his best years. If you would have asked Ronnie how he wanted to leave this world, it would not have been of old age, but in a fast car speeding down the highway. He got to leave the way he wanted to and some of us may not get that opportunity. Ronnie is gone from this world, but his life is not over. This is our temporary home and not where we are to stay forever. His life has just begun. His eternal life has started and he is free of all the pain and suffering of this life. He is walking hand in hand with our Heavenly Father on streets of gold. Ronnie is in Heaven now with his dad and they have no speed limit signs and no red lights holding them back now. I hope God can handle the men he created, because he has them both now. A couple of things we remember Ronnie sharing, or saying: I respect any man that can heal a heart he didn’t break and raise a child he didn’t make. Life is short. Work Hard, Play harder and Love Big. Ronnie epitomized all of this. He had a mischievous grin and an infectious laugh and a BIG, BIG heart Ronnie was the brother some never had, the friend everybody wanted, the son, the father, the husband, the uncle, the cousin and the nephew that was adored and will be missed for an eternity until we see him again. 2 Corinthians 4:17-18 says “For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” John 3:16 says “ For God so loved the world he gave his one and only son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” Romans 10:9 says “If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”

Tributes

Ronald Eugene "Ronnie" English, Jr.

July 23, 1976 - October 6, 2021