Marana Mayor Ed Honea dies at 77; helped helm town for 4 decades

Marana Mayor Ed Honea died Friday. He was 77.

He was a “a strong leader and steward of his beloved Marana,” Pima County officials said, while town officials noted Honea “dedicated his life to serving Marana with unwavering commitment, vision, and a genuine passion for making it a better place for all.”

Honea was a longtime political figure in the Tucson suburb, having served on the Marana Town Council as a councilmember and mayor for a total of 37 years on three separate occasions. His latest stretch as mayor dates to 2005, and he also held that post from 1995 to 1997.

Honea was just reelected mayor this year without opposition.

“Our community has lost a remarkable leader and advocate who served Marana for nearly 40 years,” said Town Manager Terry Rozema. “Mayor Honea was not only a champion for Marana, but also a friend and mentor to many of us. His love for our community ran so very deep and his contributions to making Marana what it is today cannot be overstated. He will be deeply missed.”

Pima County officials noted that “Marana and Mayor Honea have been good partners with the county over the decades, cooperating on numerous issues, including county bonds, the Regional Transportation Authority, and economic development. Mayor Honea also had his differences with the county over the years, but he was always respectful and forthright in his opposition.”

“I am deeply saddened to hear of the loss of Marana Mayor Ed Honea,” said County Supervisor Rex Scott. “He was a good friend and a public servant without peer.”

“It was an honor to serve alongside Ed for the last four years on the PAG Regional Council and the RTA Board,” said the supervisor. “He was the only one of the nine of us who had been on the RTA Board since its inception. All of us benefited from his wisdom, experience and dedication to our community. My fondest memory of him was a car tour he and I took of the parts of Marana that were part of District 1 shortly after I was elected. I will miss him, but his family and friends can take great comfort in reflecting on all he did for the town he loved so much.”

Honea’s grandfather, Bob Honea, helped found the town in 1977 and was active in the community as a rancher before that. His father Ray built Marana’s first subdivision, Honea Heights, in the 1950s, according to Marana News.

Honea had served as a member of the Regional Transportation Authority and had chaired the organization in 2023.

After serving as a U.S. Navy Seabee during the Vietnam War, Honea worked as a contractor for the U.S. Postal Service for nearly three decades before his retirement in 2007.

A 1965 graduate of Marana High School, he attended the U.S. Naval School of Construction and Pima Community College.

Calling the mayor “a pillar of our community,” Marana officials noted he was a lifetime member of VFW Post 5990, and was a “respected leader on numerous boards and organizations.”

From the town:

He served with distinction as a member and 2014 Chair of the Pima Association of Governments, and as a member and Chair of the Regional Transportation Authority. His leadership extended to the executive board of the Arizona League of Cities and Towns, as well as memberships with Arizona Town Hall, the Central Arizona Association of Governments, the Arizona Association of Economic Development, the Marana Optimist Club, and the Marana Chamber of Commerce. He also contributed as a former board member for MHC Healthcare, and was instrumental in the establishment of the new Marana Food Bank & Community Resource Center. As a lover of recreation, he was also an advocate for the upcoming Marana Aquatic & Recreation Center. 

A man of deep faith, Mayor Honea was a member of both Light the Way Lutheran Church and the Community Christian Church of Marana. Above all, he cherished his family.

Ed Honea is survived by his two children, Whitney and Tiffany, and three beloved grandchildren.

Details on services are pending.

Vice Mayor Jon Post will serve as mayor on an interim basis, town officials said. State law provides for an appointment to fill the position until the next regularly scheduled town election, which would be in 2026, when an election would determine who would serve the balance of the four-year term.