Obituary of Ronald F. Tunison

CAIRO – Ron F. Tunison, 66, died Saturday, October 19th 2013. He was the husband of Alice Tunison and father of Elizabeth, a psychiatric social worker, Trevor, a singer/songwriter for his band Fort Vine, and Wesley, an actor in NYC. Ron was extremely proud of his wife and children. Ron was born in Richmond Hill, NY, son of the late Francis X. Tunison and Ethel G. (Storey) Tunison. He was a student at H. Frank Carey high school in West Hempstead, L.I. and later, a graduate of the School of Visual Arts in Manhattan. He was a scholarship student at the NYC National Academy where he continued his sculpting studies. He went on to become an internationally acclaimed sculptor of nine heroic bronze monuments: “General W. Crawford”, near Little Round Top on the Gettysburg, PA National Battlefield. Also at Gettysburg are “The Friend to Friend Masonic Memorial” on Steinwehr Ave., the bas-relief “Delaware State Memorial” on Tanneytown Rd., and “The Gettysburg Civil War Women’s Memorial” at Evergreen Cemetery. On the Antietam, MD National Battlefield is Tunison’s “Irish Brigade Monument”. “The Bivouac” is at the entrance to the Civil War Soldier’s Museum at Pamplin Historical Park near Petersburg, VA. “The Delaware Continentals” heroic size bronze of three advancing Revolutionary War soldiers stands atop a twenty-five foot granite pedestal in front of Legislative Hall at Dover, Delaware. At Ringgold Gap in Atlanta, GA is Ron’s life-size General Patrick Cleburne. Dedication ceremonies for General John Barry, U.S. Naval Commander, will take place May 10th, 2014 at Annapolis Naval Academy in Annapolis, MD. Ron was the entrepreneur behind his own company Historical Sculptures where he sculpted smaller statues which can be viewed at his website www.historicalsculptures.com. Ron was devoted to his family. His children could not have had a more perfect father. “Most Perfect Pops in the World”, they said. On October 27th 2013, he and his wife Alice would have celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary. Besides his wife Alice and three children, he is survived by his sister Lois Gore and niece Samantha Gore; nephews Casey Williams and Olin Roth, son-in-law Ryan Grennan, sister-in-law Susan McKiernan, brother-in-law Thomas McKiernan, and mother-in-law Evelyn Wendehake. Calling hours will be from 1-5pm on Saturday, October 26th 2013 at A.J. Cunningham Funeral Home, 4898 State Route 81, Greenville. Memorial services will be conducted at a later date. Light a candle at ajcunninghamfh.com.