Ronald J. Colleran was working in maintenance at The Buffalo Evening News in the early 1960s when he saw a job posting on the company bulletin board.
There was an opening for a staff photographer. Training would be provided. Already artistically inclined – he was an amateur photographer and had been making detailed pencil sketches since he was a boy – Mr. Colleran applied and got the position, beginning a career at The News that continued for more than 40 years.
His photos were featured prominently in The News’ pictorial book, “The Blizzard of ‘77: Buffalo’s Storm of the Century.”
He died Feb. 20 in Buffalo General Medical Center after a period of declining health. He was 85.
Born in Buffalo, the second of three children and the only boy, he was the son of John and Geraldine Murray Colleran. His father worked at Bethlehem Steel Corp.
He attended St. Martin’s School and was a 1957 graduate of Bishop Timon High School, where he was trumpet player for four years in the school band.
In his youth, he had a paper route in South Buffalo and worked at Fannie Farmer Candies. He went on to jobs in the automotive department of Sears and the Ford Stamping Plant in Woodlawn before coming to The News in 1962. He also served in the Army Reserve.
At The News, Mr. Colleran frequently had evening assignments and photographed numerous concerts and Buffalo Sabres games in Memorial Auditorium. He won a Buffalo News Page One Award in 1976.
He also worked as a freelance photographer for weddings and corporate clients.
Before moving to Hamburg in 1976, he previously lived in West Seneca and North Buffalo. After retiring from The News in 2006, he and his wife resided for several years in Fort Myers, Fla., then returned to Hamburg in 2013.
A skier at Kissing Bridge and a golfer, he was a former member of the Shorewood Country Club in Dunkirk. He was devoted Buffalo Bills and Sabres fan, enjoyed traveling, running with his daughter and hunting trips at the family cabin near the Pennsylvania state line. He was a parishioner at SS. Peter and Paul Catholic Church in Hamburg.
Survivors include his wife of 56 years, the former Jeanne Anne Crane, who worked for American Express and Macy’s; three sons, C. Andrew, Alexander and John; a daughter, Jenna Piechowicz; and six grandchildren.
A memorial service will be held at noon March 9 in the Donald M. Demmerley Funeral Home, 21 Pierce Ave., Hamburg.
Email danderson@buffnews.com.
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