Ronald Hensley

Ronald (Ron) Dan Hensley, 83, quietly passed away on Friday, August 22, 2025, at his home in Grainger Co., overlooking Cherokee Lake, after a short illness.

Ron is survived by his loving wife of 41 years, Vickie (Moore) Hensley; his children: Ronald T. Hensley of Hollywood, FL, Kenni R. (Michael) Wall, of Knoxville, TN, and Lorri (Tennyson) Rucker of Asheville, NC; Step-son Matthew Todd (Katrina Robinder) Shepherd of Green Bay, WI; his grandchildren: Zachary Wall and Mackenzie Wall (Tyler) Holland, Kyleigh and Kyndall Mormon, and Jennings Sailor and Liam Todd Creedence Shepherd; his brother, Kenneth Hensley of Orlando, FL; his cousin, Frances (Taylor) Hensley of Bear Creek, Madison County, NC; brothers-in-law Mark Moore and Thomas Ross of Jersey City, NJ; and his special chosen family - Todd, Kerry, and Anna Claire Rupe.

He was predeceased by his parents, Edith (Rector) and James Allen Hensley. His father served in WWII as part of the US Army Airborne Glider Infantry, and was killed in Belgium on December 2, 1944 when Ron was 3.

Born in Marshall, the county seat of Madison County, NC on October 6, 1941, Ron graduated from Marshall High School (located on an island in the middle of the French Broad River), and then went on to attend both Mars Hill College (now University) in Mars Hill, NC and East Tennessee State University in Johnson City, TN. Living in Asheville, NC, his early career included stints with both Carolina Power and Light and SKF Industries, but his longest tenure was his 28 years with Micro Switch, a division of Honeywell, in Mars Hill, NC, from which he retired in 1999 as a Department Supervisor.

After retirement, Ron and Vickie moved to Grainger County, TN, where they built a new home together. Though the job was only 25% done when his original stone mason informed him he could not finish the job, Ron convinced him to leave his cement mixer and he quickly became skilled as a self-taught mason. Ron also enjoyed hunting, taking annual trips to Texas, Colorado, and Canada, as well as making walking sticks, and knives.

Ron was a member of the Mascot Lodge No. 738 F. & A. M. of Tennessee, and a noble of Shriners International in Kerbela Shriners of Knoxville, TN.

Interment, to be announced at a later date, will be in the Freeman Gap Cemetery, Marshall, NC.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Shriners Hospitals for Children (donate.lovetotherescue.org).