Ronald Lee Pool, 74, Osawatomie, died Thursday, March 25, 2010, at Olathe Medical Center.

He was born June 12, 1935, at Scott City, the first of two sons of Leonard Thomas and Sara Harriet Crum Pool. He grew up in Buffalo and graduated from Buffalo High School in 1953.

He enlisted in the Navy before the age of 18. He was a Korean War veteran and served as a Machinist’s Mate 3rd Class.

He married Pauline Faye Rickerson on Oct. 7, 1956, at Buffalo. She survives.

The couple became the parents of two daughters and one son. They lived in Chanute, Iola, and Emporia before moving to Roswell, N.M., and El Paso, Texas. Their family moved to Osawatomie in 1966 where they stayed until building a home in Centerville in 1977 returning to Osawatomie in 1991.

He worked for Firestone and then Toms Peanuts as a route man in Chanute. In 1959 he began working for Rainbo Bakery in Iola and Emporia and then to Roswell until 1961 and El Paso until 1963 as a route manager and then supervisor. They returned to Roswell in 1963 while still working for Rainbo and then began working for the Nabisco Company as a salesman. In 1966 they moved to Osawatomie where they owned and operated the Phillips 66 Service Station at 6th and Pacific until 1985.

Mr. Pool worked numerous places including Mathia’s Liquor, Osawatomie State Hospital, Weber Dairy, Phillips Pipeline, the Water Plant for the City of Osawatomie, and helped set cemetery monuments. He became an auctioneer and was part owner in Hill Top Auction southwest of Osawatomie. Ron earned his real estate license and worked at Frank Platt Realty, Carter Realty, and Cooper Realty. He purchased Cooper Realty which later became Century 21 Pool Realty and retired in 2002.

Ron was a member of the First United Methodist Church and had served as a trustee. He served as a board member for Osawatomie USD 367. He was a member of the Osage Valley Lodge 24 AF & AM. Other Osawatomie organizations he was a member of included the Elk’s Lodge 921, V.F.W. Hanlin-Kelly Post 2258, and Rotary Club.

Other survivors include two daughters, Valorie Davidson, Osawatomie, and Vicki Pool, Gardner; a brother, John Pool, Chanute; eight grandchildren; and more than eight great-grandchildren.

He was preceded in death by an infant son, Daniel Pool; a half-sister, Virginia Pool, who died as a small child; and his great-grandson, Ryan Hawn.

Funeral was 10 a.m. Monday at the Eddy-Birchard Funeral Home in Osawatomie. Burial was in the Buffalo Cemetery with military honors.

Pallbearers included Nathan Pfaltzgraff, Jeremy Pfaltzgraff, Shawn McKenna, Matthew Davidson, Christopher Hawn, Nathan Hemmann, and Justin Moravec. Contributions may be made to the First United Methodist Church.