It is with deep sorrow and much sadness that Forever Broadcasting/Froggy 100.3 and 98.5 regret to announce the sudden and untimely passing of Ron Smith, better known to all of his Froggyland listeners for the last 3 years as "James Pond". Ron was a 30 year veteran of the radio business and afternoon mainstay on Froggy. He was a very talented man and a true radio professional. He will be sadly missed by his radio colleagues.
Condolences go out to all his family and friends.
If you would like to express your condolences please leave them below...
Viewing hours will be
Monday September 6th, from 2-4 & 7-9
at Hartle Funeral Home in Franklin
Funeral Services will commence Tuesday @ 3PM at Saint John's Episcopal Church
Thank you,
~The Forever Broadcasting & Froggy Radio Family~
My Thanks go out to all of you and your kind words. A lot of people knew Ron but some of you only knew the professional. Ron had so much more than his work... I must admit he was so right when we first met he told me that he had ""radio in his blood"". He did have a very strong work ethic. But he was also a very special person who had once been told he was an ""old soul"". That is the man that I knew. That's also the man I feel so deeply in love with. I'm not really sure how I'm going to go on without him. But I want to Thank You all for your kind words. Love you Baby
...Your loving wife Brenda
"I have known Ron for over 30 years; he was a great guy. We will all miss him very much"
Ron was very dedicated to his work, loved radio and his family. He will forever be missed and will always be in our thoughts. Rest in peace my friend... Jim Shields General Manager Forever NWPA.
I will miss you man... I'll never forget the daily talks we had at the Bistro. I'm sure you're rocking the mic somewhere, and throwing the party of a lifetime. My thoughts and prayers go out to his family and friends... ~DJ Bo~
Ron was a great guy and a good friend. I enjoyed working with him at KQW and before that at Venango Video. He always had a way of making you laugh. Sam Gordon KQW
Ronnie lived and breathed radio - he helped build C93 FM in Clarion and WKQW 96.3 in Oil City. He loved spending late nights at the radio station, working on equipment, listening to other stations and working on many community projects. Bill Hearst, Clarion
Smitty and I worked together in the early 1980's at the now-defunct Northwest Pennsylvania Broadcasting Company in Franklin. He was one of the first part-timers hired after I was promoted to my first full-time radio position, and I believe he taught me as much about the business as I was able to show him. Our paths crossed in the radio business several times over the years.
May God bless and console his family. - Tim Shaw"
"I knew Ron for many years and not only was he a great friend, he was a true radio professional. Ron was instumental in formulating ""Football Friday Night"" in Clarion, and it has grown to be the most listened to programming in the county. I will sadly miss Ron, and wish his family my deepest condolances. -Mike Kalinowski, WCCR/WKQW
My thoughts and prayers go to Ron's family, radio family, and friends. To all of you I say, Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. I did not know him personally, but I knew him through the speakers on my radio. I will miss having him on during work. May God Bless the family.
Radio Ron was a huge reason that our football broadcasts became so popular in Clarion County. He always wanted to make the broadcast better and was the ultimate radio dude. Our times on Friday nights and our vacations to the beach are some great memories. May God bless you and your family Ron. I will miss you... Pat
I remember Ron always had a smile. I loved listening to him in the afternoons. RIP..
Jerry Miller
Thoughts and prayers going out to Ron and his family. I will miss hearing him on the radio. God Bless.
Thoughts and prayers going out to Brenda, her family, Ron's dad and all his family and friends. He will be greatly missed at the radio station.. on and off air. He truly was a wonderful man. RIP.
This is so sad! Having never met Ron but, hearing his work, we have lost another professional. My thoughts and prayers go out to Ron's family and the Froggy Family.
Hank Bashjian(formerly I.B. Green)
I didn't know ron but i work with his wife my thought and prayers are with them. Elizabeth Kearns
He was part of our family. He loved to laugh. Gone far too soon. Suzan (Clem's Maybelle).
I only had the chance to know Ron for a short period of time. I did how ever have the opportunity to converse very frequently with him out side of the station on our nicotine breaks. My prayers and blessings go out to all in mourning Ron will be missed.
Ron, what can I say,he was a great guy that I really enjoyed working with here at FROGGY. I am sad to say it wasnt near long enough. He was always smiling and worked harder than most and loved his job. I will miss him so much.
Ron,it's your time to kick back and enjoy the music, you dont have to schedule or program or make good on any of it so enjoy your time to rejoice and sing. I miss you. Please tell Crickett I love and miss her so much. I know you two will be having a great reunion. God Bless. Brenda my thoughts and prayers are with you and the family.
Ron always spoke to me passing in the halls of the mall,he was a great guy and will definately be missed. RIP Ron.
As an intern at Forever, everytime I saw Ron he was either in the studio or his office. He was very talented and will be greatly missed. My prayers are with his family. -Jenn Wagner
I worked for Ron when he first started at Froggy. He was a great guy and a true professional. Sending my sincere condolences once again to my old friends and co-workers at Forever Broadcasting. -Brett Hart / Tommy Hilfrogger
I AM SO SHOCKED RIGHT NOW....I CANT BELIEVE WE LOST THIS GREAT MAN.....I KNEW RON VERY WELL DURING MY TIME AT FOREVER BROADCASTING.....SHOCKING.... RIP MY FRIEND
I'm very glad God gave me the opportunity to work with Ron-before I met him. I was sure there was no one who loved radio like I do, but Ron has me beat by a good country mile. Prayers go out to all in Froggy Land-one family member is enough, but two in one year is an awful lot to get through. R.I.P. Ron ""James Pond"", ""Smitty"" Smith. You will be missed. -Greg Finch
Our Thoughts and Prayers go out to Ron's Family! Shenia Moyer - In The Spot Light Entertainment Group
I got to know Ron in the early 1990's during his brief tenure as the jock at Miller's Skating Rink in Seneca. What a quick wit and sense of humor !! This is a total shock to all radio listeners in western PA. Sympathies and prayers to his family. Dave Schmude - Cranberry, PA
Even though I knew Ron over the airwaves for awhile, I have had the pleasure of working with him for the past few months. He was a great guy, a great person on air, and a good friend. I am sure he is enjoying the party where ever he is. Godspeed and we will miss you. - Jake Stoffer, Marketing consultant Forever NWPA Franklin
I did know not Ron,but I do send my thought and prayers to Ron's family. I listen to him when I out at night working and I was driving home. The death of person is hard on the family.I know both of my parents are gone.God Bless his family and friend.Carl and Velma Cone Jefferson,Ohio
Our throughts and prayers are with the Ron's friends and family and his Froggy family. Ron will be greatly missed.--Julie Coates WICU/WSEE
I've known Ron for about 25 years. Through good times, and the not so good. He was my Best-Man, that says it all, he was The Best Man. Always quick with a smile. God bless you my friend, and your wife & family. RIP Brother - Sal Amato
I will miss our lunches and ""shop talk"" at the Bistro. I loved swapping stories from the old days with you pal! Ron was a classic ""old school"" radio guy who loved what he did with a kind of passion that is hard to find these days in the industry. We were fortunate that he shared some of his talents with us. Rest easy Ron in the arms of our awesome Lord.
Rockin Rich Anton/WUZZ 94 & 107
I was fortunate to have worked with Ron and got to share a lot of good memories as coworkers, PAB winners, and friends on vacation. He loved radio more than anyone that I have known. Thanks for the memories. God bless you. Governor Bob Dunkle
God be with with James Pond's family and friends.....We, the listening audience will miss hearing his voice...God bless
God bless Ron and his family.
I Listen to Froggy everyday at work and always looked forward to 2:00 when he came on.....to his Family & Friends you are in my thoughts & prayers!!
During the brief times that I was around Ron at the Forever Broadcasting ""Managers Meetings"", I found him to be very nice, smart and a true radio pro! Seeing all the kind comments and memories on this page is a great tribute to his character. My condolences to Ron's family and friends, which of course, includes his co-workers who have had a tough, tough year. Donna Himes - Forever Broadcasting/Altoona
While I was shocked to hear the sad news yesterday, I believe that God takes the good ones from us because he has a better place for them. I am sure Ron is in a better place. Rich hit the nail on the head: He loved what he did with a kind of passion we don't see anymore. I will miss you, my friend. My prayers are with his family.
My thoughts and prayers are with Ron, his family, and his radio family. I'm so very sorry our radio community has lost another friend and pro. Karen Lee DeFriez - Premiere Radio Networks
My thoughts and prayers go out to Ron's family, friends and his Froggy family. He will be missed by all who know him personally and all who know his voice. RIP.
I was shocked to read the news of Ron Smith's passing in this morning's newspaper. I was hoping it was not my friend and colleague from our days at WFRA, but Tim Shaw's post sadly confirmed what I hoped was not true. I was thinking about Smitty only a few days ago as I was recalling memories of my radio days to one of my current co-workers. I will always remember how natural he was behind a mike. And I especially will remember the fun we all had on the WFRA softball team. My prayers go out to to his family and friends.-John Last
Ron and I worked together during my early days in the market when I had been at WRIE Radio. I will always remember him as a very sincere person, with a great voice. My prayers are with him and his family. Loretto
Thank you for taking so good care of me and making sure i look awesome for all the live broadcast. I will miss you and love you forever. Mr. Froggy
My deepest sympathy to Ron's family. As so many before me have stated, Ron had an incredible work ethic and intense passion for radio. I worked with Ron as his GM in Punxsy for a short period of time. It's a shame this talented voice has been silenced at such a young age. Diana Stapleford
I first met Radio Ron a little while ago, in summer of 2005, when I was interning in Clarion. At first, I would only see him when he would come by the station to fix something! I will always remember my first crash course in engineering, he and the guys would joke with me that I needed to ""keep it tight,"" when coming in and out of our breaks. I still use that phrase to this day and think of him. Over time, I developed a unique mentor/student relationship with Ron that not only lasted through multiple companies, but over very long distances and many equally long phone calls as a working relationship became a friendship I will always cherish. He had faith in me early in my career and I will always owe him for that. And I will always miss him. -- Austin Kokel, WFXB (formerly of WCCR/WWCH/WKQW/WGYY/WGYI with Ron)
He was grate guy. He was nice. He gave me a hug. He was my friend. Tracy Nichol
I will miss him on the radio. He was a wonderful person whom I met a few times when he would do live broadcasts at the place I worked. God bless his family and may you know he will be missed. BO is right, he is probably rocking the mic up there....KJ in Polk
I met Ron when we purchased the Seneca Skating Rink in 1988. He had been the DJ for Miller's and stayed with us for awhile before leaving to start his extraordinary career in radio. I feel honored to have had the opportunity to know and work with Ron. What a wonderful man who was taken from us way too soon. I extend my sincerest sympathies to his family. Renee Vowinckel - Seneca Skating Rink
Ron was one of my closest friends when we were in high school and into our early 20's working at Venango Video and as we were both working in radio we crossed paths and renewed that friendship from time to time. He was starting at WWCH and C93 about the time I left for another career. And as I moved away from the area, we fell out of touch. I had just been thinking about tracking him down to say hello and its sad to hear that my friend is gone so young. You'll be missed, Ron. The days of you, me and George at Venango Video were some of the best days ever.
Although I don't live in the Crawford County area, I have heard a great deal about Ron in the last few months. Heart felt condolences go out to his personal family and to his Froggy family. May God bless you all at this time of great personal loss. Keep warm memories in your hearts of Ron. ~~A friend from the Altoona ""Froggy"" listening area
My condolences to Ron's family and friends.
Ron was a great guy. I worked with him in Punxsutawney, Pa. Anything I ever needed, Ron always came through with much talent and always proud to help a friend. Sadly missed by everyone here in Punxsutawney, Pa. My deeest sympathies to Ron wife and family. God Bless All. I am sure he has the biggest mic in fron tof him inside the gates of heaven. Polka Mike www.mikespolkaparty.com
Our thoughts are with Ron's wife...we only met him once, but were faithful listeners. His talents will be missed. God bless you,Brenda.
I had the pleasure of meeting Ron at Renda Broadcasting of Punxsutawney. He knew that pesky Maestro system inside and out. Even after he resigned, I knew I could count on him to help me over the phone and figure that rascal out when it double-clutched and went haywire. Sometimes I wonder if Forever Broadcasting hired him because he was the only one who could, since they had the same system up there! And if there was anyone who could ""make it work"" in terms of a piece of broken equipment (like the Marti unit at WPXZ), it was Ron, without a doubt. He was an asset to this industry and he will be missed. If there's radio in Heaven, God's got a place for him already; I'm sure of it. We miss you, Ron.
I met Ron when he agreed to help promote the Lupus Loop in 2008. We worked on 2008 and the 2009 Loop promotion. We had a blast recording the PSAs. I was amazed at his talent. I would stop by the station and chat about promotion and everyday life things, and we became friends. I moved from the area in December and am not involved with the planning/ promotion of the Loop this year. I had talked to Janie the day she was going to record the PSA and told her to tell Ron I said Hi! I wish I would have be able to tell him myself, and talked to him one last time. I was shocked and saddened when I read the obituary on line. Unfortunately it wasn't until Tues. and the calling hours were past. My sympathies to you Brenda. Reading all these wonderful comments must warm your heart. Like the Tribune said, he sure did think the world of his granddaughter. I have two of my own and we liked to talk about them together. I loved to listen to him on air. I know the afternoons will not be the same for all his loyal listeners. It was a pleasure knowing you Ron. Donna Lawrason
Ron will be missed very much so. He was a good person, and his inspiration and spirit will still live on forever more. I am so sorry to hear the sudden passing of him. I will be praying for all of his family and friends that they will stay strong in this depressing time. He will be truly missed by those who really (and didn't really) know him.
I met Ron in person just one time and I liked him. He was a professional and good person.
My deepest condolences go out to Ron's family and friends. I only knew him from listening to him on the radio. May he rest in peace and may God comfort his family. I will truley miss listening to him. My thoughts and prayers go out to all that knew him.
It has taken some time for me to come to the reality that Ron is not with us any longer. I keep waiting for him to come down the hall, fly by my desk and plop down in my chair for our ""after hours"" talks. I can almost hear his footsteps. I enjoyed working with Ron..he was truly dedicated and spent many hours working on everything that Froggy was. Rest in peace Ron...and play a good song for me in heaven...I will be singing along! Jill Hamilton, Business Mgr, Forever Broadcasting
