A craft show to support the family of the late Marine Sgt. Ronnie Drennen Jr. of Hillsboro will be held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 25, at Arnold VFW Post 2593, 2301 Church Road.
Drennen died June 15 after he was struck from behind by a car on Hwy. 141 near Gravois Bluffs Boulevard. He was 41.
“We will try to make it a fun-filled day with games and giveaways for children, and we hope to raise money to help support the Drennen family,” VFW hall manager Jamie Hodge said.
VFW Post 2593 and Wickedly Creative Craft Shows are organizing the event. Vendors may pay $30 for a booth inside the hall or $25 for an outdoor space. As of Sept. 14, the show had 37 vendors set to take part in the show, Hodge said.
She said a limited number of indoor spaces are available, but anyone interested in being a vendor may call 636-296-4066.
Hodge said proceeds from vendor fees, as well as money raised from raffles and a 50/50 drawing will benefit the Drennen family.
Ronnie is survived by his wife, Julia; daughter, Faith Marie Drennen of Redford; sons, Aaron Michael Drennen of House Springs and Kody Sebastian Drennen of Hillsboro; and a granddaughter.
Hodge also said Marine Corps Detachment League 707 will sell barbecue meals during the event with proceeds to be donated to the family.
Ronnie, who also was known as “Cooter,” was a diesel mechanic with Fabick Cat in Fenton. He graduated from Grandview High School and earned an HVAC certificate from Vatterott College.
He served in the Marine Corps from 2002-2006, earning numerous medals, ribbons and other awards of recognition over the course of two tours in Iraq.
He was president of Union Alliance Motorcycle Association, a volunteer with Focus Marines, a member of the Big River VFW Post in Cedar Hill and an organ donor.
A GoFundMe account, “Ronnie Drennen aka Cooter,” also has been set up for the family, and as of Sept. 15, the fund had brought in $9,025.
“The family thanks the community for the outpouring of support. The family appreciates it,” said Ronnie’s sister, Barb “Bobbi” Drennen-Walgren. “We also thank the Union Alliance for all they have done. They have had several events and continue to honor my brother. They started a Cooter Poker Run that they plan to have annually. That is nice.”
Always helping
Drennen-Walgren, 51, of House Springs said her brother was always willing to help others.
She said since Ronnie’s death numerous people have reached out to family members to share stories about how her brother helped them.
“We have been contacted through Facebook with messages saying, ‘Oh my gosh, I recognize him. He pulled over on the side of the road and helped me,’” Drennen-Walgren said. “My brother was a mechanic and welder. He was known to drop whatever he was doing and help someone else. To know he had that kind of impact and legacy on the community is amazing.”
She said her brother got the nickname “Cooter” because of his similarities to the mechanic from the TV show “The Dukes of Hazzard.”
“He was always smiling,” Drennen-Walgren said.
Drennen-Walgren said her brother enjoyed riding his motorcycle.
“He felt the freest when he was riding his bike,” she said.
The accident
Charleen Burns of Wickedly Creative Craft Shows, a longtime friend of Ronnie’s wife and her family, said Ronnie was riding his motorcycle to work the day of the accident.
She said St. Louis County Police told the Drennen family that Ronnie was riding north on Hwy. 141 when he was cut off by another car and then a red car hit the motorcycle from behind, sending the bike into the right turn lane and throwing Ronnie into the left turn lane more than 500 feet from the motorcycle. The driver of the car that allegedly hit Ronnie’s motorcycle has not been identified.
“It is very frustrating to know that someone caused his accident, and it is very frustrating to know there are not cameras at that intersection that would pick up anything,” Drennen-Walgren said. “It is frustrating to know there are multiple accidents at that location and nothing that I am aware of being done.
“It is what it is, and we take it one day at a time.”