Ronald J. Deremiah

funeral director, The Funeral Chapel of Powell and Deckard, Bloomington, Indiana, died November 20, 2024, at age 77. Deremiah attended Indiana University for two years before studying mortuary science at Kentucky School of Mortuary Science. He was a former partner at Deremiah Frye Mortuary Greene & Harrell Chapel.

In 1999, Deremiah joined Flanner Buchanan in Indianapolis and served as area manager of Washington Park East.

He returned to Bloomington in 2014 and retired in 2017, but he quickly realized that after 49 years in funeral service, he missed serving families. After receiving an opportunity to return to The Funeral Chapel of Powell and Deckard, he decided to drop the word “retirement” from his vocabulary.

Deremiah was a life member of the Academy of Professional Funeral Service Practice and founded and currently chaired the Indiana Funeral Directors Association (IFDA) Intern Mentorship Academy, in which he took great pride and responsibility in thoroughly and properly training and educating the intern funeral directors in Indiana.

He also served as a past NFDA Policy Board representative and as IFDA past president.

Deremiah served as a dental technician in the U.S. Navy during the Vietnam War. He was active in many local organizations, including Ellettsville Chamber of Commerce, Hospice of Bloomington, Suburban Kiwanis Club, American Legion Burton Woolery Post 18, Ellettsville Masonic Lodge, Bloomington Laurens B. Strain V.F.W. Post 604, Indianapolis Murat Shrine Temple and Scottish Rite-Valley of Indianapolis. He was currently serving as president of the Kiwanis Club of Bloomington.

He is survived by wife Kathy; sons Andrew, Timothy and Aaron; and five grandchildren.