Chief Ronald Gene “Ron” Ferrell (1947-2026)

Ron was born on December 20, 1947 in Stopover, Pike County, Kentucky, the fourth child born to Larkin Hamlet and Mildred Ivory (Wolford) Ferrell. Sometime between Ron’s 3rd and 13th year, Larkin moved his family 275 miles northeast to Mason, Ohio. Ron attended William Mason High School, graduating in 1965.

After highs school, Ron joined the Ohio National Guard and served there for 15 years.

Ron joined the Lebanon Police Department as a Patrolman in June 1971. By 1977, he was promoted to Sergeant and invited to attend the Federal Bureau of Investigation National Academy, only the second law enforcement officer to attend from Warren County. On July 14, 1979, when his chief left suddenly, Sergeant Ferrell was promoted to Police Chief. Little more than three years later, eleven years into his career, on September 29, 1982, Chief Ferrell was additionally appointed Safety Director.

Aspiring to be closer to the Columbus and London, Ohio, where state law enforcement standards are made and training conducted, on May 27, 1988 Chief Ferrell took a position as Police Chief of the Dublin Police Department. He also became the Director of Professional Standards and Training for the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Identification and Identification. In 1991, he was elected president of the Ohio Association of Chief of Police. In March 1992, he testified before the Ohio House Judiciary Committee regarding the system that would soon become the Ohio Automated Fingerprint Identification System (OAFIS).

On May 10, 1997, Chief Ferrell returned home to Warren County and took over the Mason Police Department. By then, he had completed the Police Executive Leadership College, had a master’s degree in criminal justice from the University of Cincinnati, and was working toward a Doctorate from the Ohio State University. His dissertation was on the effectiveness of the Drug Abuse Resistance Education Program (D.A.R.E) in Ohio.

On August 30, 2000, when the Mason Fire Chief resigned, Chief Ferrell was once again assigned as its Safety Director. On October 17, 2000, the Mason Police Department was accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA). On September 18, 2003, he received the Ohio Association of Chiefs of Police’s Theordore S. Jones Service Award. On August 7, 2006, he received the national CALEA’s Egon Bitter Award.

On February 23, 2009, Chief Ferrell left again for London, being appointed Executive Director of the Ohio Peace Officer Training Academy. But in May 2010, he returned to the Chief’s position at Mason. Chief Ferrell retired January 1, 2017 as Police Chief.

Prior to that, in 2013, Chief Ferrell had established a consulting firm, The Ferrell Group, specializing in searching for law enforcement executives for municipalities. In 2017, he and took on a special projects’ role for the Mason City Manager. In 2023, after 52 years dedicated to law enforcement, he retired from both

Chief Ferrell was also a lifetime member of the Elks Lodge and Fraternal Order of the Eagles.

Chief Ferrell died on November 12, 2026 at the age of 78

He was predeceased by his brother, James Farrell. Chief Ferrell is survived by his wife of 58 years, Mary Lu (Huffer) Ferrell; daughter, Kelli (Rob) Schuermann; grandchildren, Alec (Allison) Schuermann, Corinne (Andrew) Boys, and Craig Schuermann; great-grandchildren, Cooper Schuermann, Charlotte Schuermann, and Josie Boys; brothers, Robert (Phyllis) Ferrell and William (Linda) Ferrell; and sisters-in-law, Debbie (Albert) Jeffery and Pam (William) Bausmith.

A visitation will be held on Tuesday, November 17, 2026, from 4 to 8 p.m. at Mueller Funeral Home at 6791 Tylersville Road in Mason. A private celebration of life and burial at Rose Hill Cemetery will be held on Wednesday, November 18th.

Memorials may be made to Blue Ash Hospice of Cincinnati, Blue Ash.

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