Ronald E. Zoz

Ronald Edgar Zoz, age 87, of Greenwich, OH, passed away at Fisher Titus Hospital on May 23, 2026.

Ron was born in Bellefontaine, Ohio on October 7, 1938, to Muriel Jasinsky Zoz and Clarence Edgar Zoz. He graduated from Bellefontaine High School and earned a bachelor’s and master’s degree from Bowling Green State University (BGSU). Ron spent 30 years teaching instrumental music in grades 5-12 in the South Central School District.

Ron met his wife Marie (Hobe) when they were both members of the BGSU marching and concert bands. In the spring of 1960, both the South Central music teacher and business teacher positions were advertised in the BGSU placement office. They applied and were interviewed together in the South Central Board of Education offices, which at the time were in the iconic flatiron building in Greenwich, Ohio. They were both hired before their college graduation in the spring of 1960. Ron and Marie were married August 21, 1960, in Salem Ohio, and two weeks later, they both began their teaching careers at South Central.

In addition to being the high school band director, Ron also had a regular school bus route for seven years and spent 14 years as the coach of the South Central high school golf team, winning the Firelands Conference Golf championship in 1987. During the summers, he was a golf instructor at Rolling Acres Golf Club in Nova, OH and he taught private music lessons to instrumental music students.

Over the years he had many jobs that today would be considered “side hustles”. His first business venture was called Wedding Recording Service, where he recorded the audio of wedding ceremonies on reel-to-reel tape. Later he started Ron Zoz Photography, which focused primarily on weddings. After he retired from teaching, he spent the next 10 years in computer consulting with a business named Ron Zoz & Associates.

Ron was well-known for several lifetime hobbies. He learned to golf at age 11 when he served as a caddy at the Bellefontaine Country Club, and he continued golfing into his 70s. He also spent 50 years as an Amateur (Ham) Radio operator with the call sign KF8O. He was a member of the American Radio Relay League, Parks on the Air, and Continuous Wave (CW) Ops (which aims to preserve the art and skill of Morse Code). He was an avid reader of books with historical, religious and political themes.

After his retirement, Ron actively served as a member of the Fitchville Conservation League, Greenwich Area Historical Society and the Greenwich Improvement Group (GIG). He helped to maintain a robust online presence for all three. He was a founding member of the GIG and was recognized as GIG Citizen of the Year in 2019.

Ron was preceded in death by his parents, his sisters, Garnet (Zoz) Ohns and Betty (Zoz) Bishop, nephew, George Bishop, and niece Beth Bishop.

He is survived by his wife of 65 years, Marie; daughters Gayla Zoz (Greg Bumb) of Gallatin, TN; Rhonda (Mike) Hillman of Fort Wayne, IN; and Jill Zoz Choi of Dublin, OH; and son Edgar Zoz of Silver Spring MD. Also surviving are nine grandchildren, Shannon Bradford (Jorge Avila) of Sandusky, OH; Sam (Katie) Hillman of Fort Wayne, IN; Matthew Hillman of Nashville, TN; Rachel Hillman of Brentwood, MD; Masha Zoz of Annapolis, MD; Sage Zoz of Baltimore, MD; Lizzie Zoz of Silver Spring, MD; Benji Choi of Dublin, OH; and Abby Choi of Columbus, OH. Most recently, he was blessed with six great grandchildren, Victoria, Roman, Gabriel, Diego, Ellie, and Jackson.

Funeral arrangements will be announced at a later date on social media. In lieu of flowers we encourage memorial donations to the South Central Band Boosters in honor of Mr. Zoz. Checks can be mailed to South Central Band Boosters, 3305 Greenwich Angling Road, Greenwich, OH 44837. Online donations can be made via VENMO online at https://account.venmo.com/u/SCBands.

Online expressions of sympathy to the family may be made by visiting: www.eastmanfuneralhome.com