Ronald Marvin Drum, age 69, of Todd, North Carolina, passed away in the loving comfort of his family on Friday morning, June 14, 2013 at Ashe Memorial Hospital. A memorial service will be at Boone Family Funeral Home in West Jefferson, NC at 3pm on Wednesday June 19th. Born in Gastonia, North Carolina on April 16, 1944 to the late Jentes G. Drum, who served in World War II, and Virginia H. Drum, Ron spent his childhood in the Piedmont region surrounded by friends and family, especially those in the small community of Hot Springs. After college, Ron moved to Huntsville, Alabama, working proudly as a contractor for NASA, contributing to the Gemini and Apollo space programs where, among other projects, he helped develop the instrumentation for the first lunar rover. While in Huntsville he met his wife, the former Dianne Marie Dill, who has remained his loving spouse for the past 39 years. Ron and Dianne returned to North Carolina in the mid-1970s, pursuing his career in the textile industry and raising their son, Daniel, in Gastonia and Rockingham. They moved to Greensboro in the mid-1990s, where Ron retired from Unifi, Inc. in August 2009. In recent years, they have enjoyed retirement at their idyllic mountain retreat in Todd, NC, where Ron was able to revel in the tranquility of the landscape, its bountiful trout streams, and his many friends. In recent years, upon diagnosis of cancer, Ron fought this disease with the same the vigor and steadfastness with which he tackled all of life's challenges.far and away exceeding any pre-conceived medical notions of life expectancy and quality. During his long battle, he maintained an active schedule of fly-fishing, travel, and home-repair projects with his wife, Dianne, and son, Daniel, both of whom survive, saddened by his passing but rejoicing in his peace, memory, and good works. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that any memorials be directed to the institutions which helped Ron throughout his later years, either: the UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center for Research, Campus Box 7295, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7295 or Hospice of Ashe County, PO Box 421, 392 Hwy 88 East, Jefferson, NC 28640.