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The death of former Hope resident Ronald "Ron" Fourman in April left a void in many hearts, but the lasting impact and legacy of his life and relationships made a permanent imprint on the community that will forever remain, family and friends say.

Born in November 1935, Fourman was very proud of his family, his faith, his military service and his community.

Most remember him as the owner and operator of Fourman Enterprises, which was located in Hope from 1977 to 1999 and purchased by Gary Bailey.

Fourman’s daughter Nancy Treesh says her father entered the United States Marine Corp right after he graduated from Columbus High School in 1954. Not only did he take great pride in his service, but that time also afforded him an opportunity for adventure – something that would be of increasing interest to him as he aged.

His days as a motor pool mechanic in the Marine Corp weren’t purely defined by having a wrench in hand but allowed him the chance to travel periodically as he wasn’t always confined to the ship as it toured the globe, with stops in the Mediterranean, including Gibraltar and the bull fights in Spain.

In 1957, Fourman married the love of his life, Linda. The couple would have celebrated their 67^th wedding anniversary this year, Treesh says.

When it comes down to it, words are difficult to come by, she adds.

“It is hard to put your dad into words,” Treesh says. “He couldn’t stop learning. He had a hunger for wisdom.”

As a young, newlywed Fourman and his wife began building their family and they moved from Columbus to Fort Wayne, Treesh says, so he could take advantage of his GI Bill. At the time, he was still in the National Guard and the family was comfortably settled in military housing while he attended school. Eventually, he became the production control manager for Cooper Tire in Auburn, Ind.

“He worked within the mechanic's range of things and never could let it go,” Treesh recalls. “It fed his interest in vehicles and cars. He should have been an engineer.”

Fourman’s love for all things auto related was apparent to everyone who knew him, Treesh adds.

He regularly drove vehicles in the annual Auburn, Cord, Duesenberg Festival in Auburn, she says.

“It was a never-ending thing for him,” she says. “He would find older vintage vehicles in junkyards, or wherever, and completely rebuild them.”

She recalls when her sister, Judith, set off for Purdue she left driving a rebuilt Opal GT their dad had gifted her.

It was in his nature to be constantly on the lookout for vehicles that needed some TLC.

When the auto industry hit a rough spot in the 1970s and early 1980s, Fourman left Cooper Tire and moved to Hope where he set up shop on Elm Street and opened Fourman Enterprises.   

Eventually, he would build next to his residence on South Street where the business remained until Bailey took it over.

“He was a great guy, and we became very close friends,” Bailey says. “We traveled all over the country together. We were more friends than a father/son relationship.”

Bailey had initially known Fourman on a superficial basis when he took some cylinders in for repair one day in the late 1990s. As the two began talking, Fourman disclosed he was ready to sell the business and, well, Bailey was ready to buy.

“He didn’t actually have it advertised for sale,” Bailey adds. “It was one of those deals where we got together, made a deal and made it happen.”

The rest, as they say, is history.

Bailey recalls that when he built the new Fourman Enterprises building at the industrial park in the mid- to late-2000s, Fourman was over all the time and the two became closer friends.

Of the most memorable experiences the pair shared was a Route 66 road trip that began in Chicago and ended at the Santa Monica Pier. Driving a Dodge 4-wheel-drive pickup, the trip took 11 days filled with roadside stops at diners, junkyards and any other site that caught their attention, Bailey says.

The cab of that pickup was filled with discussions, laughter and a connection that would always remain with the gentlemen.

“I think Ron was having signs of dementia [in recent years], but he always remembered that Route 66 trip,” Bailey recalls. “We found old cars, and it was just an awesome trip.”

Fourman never cussed and would offer a sideways glance with a shaking of his head for Bailey when he would cuss in jest, knowing the elder of the two didn’t approve.

“He would do anything for a lot of people,” Bailey says. “He was very humble with a great sense of humor.”

The connection Bailey had with Fourman is one the elder shared with many in the Hope community, Treesh says.

“He grew up in the smaller version of Columbus,” Treesh says. “He was able to connect with so many of the families in the area through the small businesses farming, just getting to know people individually which was very important, I think, they were very active in the First Baptist Church there for many years.”

Among Treesh’s fondest memories are of Heritage Days' parades that would begin just past the family property on South Street.

Family members would come spend the day and everyone would gather on the Fourman’s front porch, she recalls.

“Lawn chairs were everywhere,” she says. “Parade entries would be in dad’s gravel parking lot there and we would get the firsthand view of the parade. The kitchen would be full of food, and everyone would mingle there. It was always a great time for the family all the way through to my grandchildren and his great-grandchildren even enjoyed the opportunity.”

While in Hope, the Fourmans opened their home to the public as part of the Christmas Homes Tour one year, Treesh says, and he also sponsored summer baseball teams.

During Heritage Days, if something was needed the go-to phrase on everyone’s lips was, “Let’s call Ron and see if he’s got it…” and without fail he would, or he would get what was needed.

“There were just so many things that he did, I can’t remember even a tenth of them, to be honest,” Treesh says. “He was always purposely looking to do things that could give back. Hope was definitely their home; they claimed it and made it their home.”

It has been about five years since the Fourman’s relocated out of Hope to Columbus.

Age and time take their toll and it was obvious in recent years that Fourman was feeling the effects of both. Multiple complications added up until they finally became just too much, Treesh says.

“It came on suddenly in January that the complications were really not manageable any further,” she says.

Fourman was 88 years young when he died.

“Anyone who knew him knew of his faith – that was a priority,” Treesh says. “His service to the community wasn’t something he just enjoyed, but it was his way of giving back.”