The Paonia Lions Club was established 80 years ago, and the very next year, they hosted the first Cherry Days. Now that Cherry Days is in its eightieth year, it is only natural that the Cherry Days committee circle back to the Lions Club as they searched for a Grand Marshal. Not only is Ron Sims the longest-serving member of the Paonia Lions Club, with 56 years of service and counting, but he has also dedicated his life to the North Fork Valley as a coal miner, carpenter, firefighter, fire chief, one of the valley’s first ambulance EMTs, town trustee, and member of the North Fork Mosquito Control District. Along the way, he has also been a devoted husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather. Rarely is someone so active in the community without a partner’s support. Earlana, Ron’s wife of nearly 70 years, was raised on a Paonia fruit farm and was involved in music nearly all her life, including volunteering to support music in our schools for over 30 years. She also strongly supported high school girls’ sports when they began in the 70s, including serving as a scorekeeper for girls’ volleyball for 20 years. Lana served on the first Delta County School District Accountability Committee, and she later spearheaded the effort to have the Paonia Christian Fellowship Church listed on both the state and national registers of historic places. Their story deserves to be told.

Ron was born on July 25, 1938, in the once-bustling coal mining community of Bowie. Earlana was born on a fruit farm halfway between Paonia and Bowie on April 13, 1940. They married on June 28, 1958. Both are graduates of Paonia High School—Ron, class of 1956 and Earlana, class of 1958. After graduation, Ron went to work at the Bowie coal mine. The mine entrance was high on the mountain with a steep rail grade down to the tipple. Ron’s job was to brake the coal cars coming down the hill and switch them into the tipple. At the time, Bowie was a thriving little coal-mining town with many young families. Ron said they hardly ever went to town in the summer. The kids always found something to do, swimming in the river and playing “Cops and Robbers,” which resulted in several bicycle collisions at the intersections between the rows of houses. There was hiking, fishing, and hunting in the fall.

Before the Paonia dam was built, and winters were actually winters, the river froze, and the kids skated and played hockey, using whatever they could find for sticks and pucks. They finally figured out they could make pucks by cutting a hole in old tires. Without helmets or other protection, they managed to have no serious injuries. They skied through the orchards, dodging trees and fence posts. Sledding was from the school houses, down through the alleys of Bowie, and if you were lucky, you made it to the road.

Bowie was home to two schools. One of those buildings was later moved from Bowie and now stands where Berg Harvest is located, having served for many years as a fruit stand. Ron attended the other school, which was relocated to Paonia and eventually became the Paonia Museum. This historic building is featured on this year’s Lions Club calendar.

Lana didn’t realize how special it was to grow up on a farm until years later. At the time, it seemed like a lot of hard work, but she learned how to care for farm animals, plant gardens, and pick and pack cherries, peaches, pears and apples. She started piano lessons at age seven, later played saxophone in the high school band, and sang in the choruses. Her mother took her to church at First Christian (now Paonia Christian Fellowship) when she was two weeks old, and she has been there ever since. She sang at her first funeral at age 14 and at her first wedding later that year. She continued to sing at various functions over the years and played the piano at church.

The Bowie schools were closed in 1952, when Ron entered the 8th grade, and students from Bowie and Somerset were bused to Paonia. Shop class was Ron’s favorite, and he built such things as cedar chests and coffee tables. This foundation would serve him well in future years. Following their wedding in 1958, the Sims lived in Bowie for four years. In September of 1962, Ron was offered a job working in the construction business with Earlana’s uncle. It was a leap of faith to leave the mine and give up his high-paying job with full medical coverage, but at that time, the mines only operated in the winter, and miners relied on odd jobs and unemployment during the off times to keep them going. Ron accepted the offer, and on Labor Day weekend, they moved to Paonia and bought the house where they still live.

In 1965, at the urging of Gene Reedy, Ron joined the Paonia Volunteer Fire Department (PVFD), where he served for 34 years. In the late ’60s, the PVFD was talked into purchasing an ambulance, but Harry Taylor, the town mortician at the time, was the only person qualified to operate it. In 1970, Ron was part of the second group from the PVFD to take classes to become an EMT. He then served on the ambulance until he was forced to step down due to age requirements. When he retired from the fire department in 1999, he had served for 34 years, including his last several years as fire chief.

In 1970, Ron joined the Paonia Lions Club, and he is currently the longest-serving member by 14 years. During his tenure as a Lion, the list of club accomplishments supporting the Paonia community is long and diverse. For instance, although the club built the large shelter in the town park during the ’60s, Ron was a member of the club when they built the smaller shelter, installed the chain link fence, and purchased playground equipment. Other contributions include improvements at the North Fork Rodeo grounds, Apple Valley Park, and the nursing home, as well as planting trees and installing street signs in town.

It was also in 1970 that Lana took swimming classes, then the Red Cross Life Saving and Water Safety Instructor courses. After that, she taught swimming to kids in the community for 11 years. Additionally, as her girls grew and became involved in music at school, Lana volunteered to accompany students in solo contests and honor choir auditions. This volunteering in the schools in support of music continued for over 30 years. The highlight was when their grandson, Chris Henrie, was selected for the all-state choir in 2005.

In 1978, Ron was elected to the Paonia Town Council as a trustee and served until 1982. In 1981, he temporarily left construction and went to work at the Bear Coal Mine, where he worked until the mine closed in 1997. After that, it was back to construction until full retirement. In the late ’90s and early 2000s, he also served on the North Fork Mosquito Board. In April 2011, Lana was finally successful in getting the Paonia Christian Fellowship Church, built by farmers from 1904 to 1908, listed on the Colorado and National Registers of Historic Places.

While reflecting on their selection as Grand Marshals, Earlana had this to say, “Life has been good to us, and we have been so blessed. We have three wonderful daughters, Litsa, Tracy, and Leslie, and their husbands, Clay, Bob and Paul. We have seven grandchildren and five great-grandchildren. Living in this valley has been a blessing. Bowie is gone. Paonia has changed a lot over the years, but it is still home. God is good.”