William “Bill” “Maurice” Ringgold

William “Bill” “Maurice” Ringgold, 67, went home to be with our Lord on February 9, 2022, at Duke University Hospital in Durham, North Carolina. Bill was a native of Roanoke, Virginia and a former resident of Anaheim, California before moving his wife and daughter to Yorktown in May 1990.
Upon graduation from William Fleming High School in Roanoke, he enlisted in the United States Marine Corp. Upon completing boot camp at Camp Pendleton in San Diego, California, he had already made rank of Private First Class. He shared many stories of his travels, near death experiences, and mishaps throughout his six years of service. He was a Red Shirt and proud of it. Once a Marine, always a Marine. Semper Fi, Marine!!
After his time in the USMC, he drove semi-trucks and amazed everyone with the skills he had backing up and parking doubles. He also worked heavy equipment with his best buddies at Red Jacket. In 1987, Bill entered into the world of telecommunications. Upon his death, Bill was employed as a telecommunications engineer at Riverside Health Systems. He loved his job and his Riverside family. If you asked him how his day was going, he would say, “fixing broken stuff.”
Bill enjoyed life. He loved anything that would include his family. They enjoyed camping, BBQs, apple picking, and just hanging out. He loved taking his Harley out for rides. He loved projects, especially anything that required power tools and wood.
Bill was a member of Bethel Baptist Church in Yorktown. He enjoyed singing in the choir and playing different roles in the drama productions. He was a deacon and a Sunday school teacher, and he took both jobs very seriously. He was happy, and quick, to share his faith and love for Christ with others.
Bill was given a second chance at life on September 7, 2017 at Duke University Hospital when he received a double lung transplant. He valued this gift. He knew that death brought him life. He wrote the most heartfelt thank you letter to his donor family.
Bill is survived by his loving wife Roberta of 41 years, daughter Heidi Ferriero (Michael), and his grandsons Corbin Michael, 5, and Cooper William, 3. These two little guys were the joy and love of his life. He is also survived by Callie, a.k.a “Brown Bomber,” our furry grand dog, his sister Angela Gordon of Roanoke, his brother and sister-in-law Dan and Pam Harris of North Richland Hills, Texas, and numerous nieces and nephews.
He leaves behind many family and friends who loved him dearly. We pray the stories he told and the “one liners” he shared will bring smiles and healing. Bill will be greatly missed by all.
We want to thank Dr. Haney, his transplant surgeon at Duke, for giving us Bill for four more beautiful years as well as the entire Duke Transplant team, especially Dr. Lorenzo Zaffiri, for keeping Bill on his toes for the last four years.
Bill took his final trip to Duke, via helicopter, on January 24, 2022, when he was diagnosed with COVID pneumonia. Bill never turned down an invite to join a research study. He had a heartfelt desire to help as many others as possible. His wife was approached by a research team studying the effects of two drugs shown to heal and protect the lungs from COVID. He was taking part in that study.
In lieu of floral arrangements, memorial donations may be made to:
Dr. Christina Barkauskas Research Fund
Duke Surgery
DUMC Box 3442
Durham, North Carolina 27710
The family will receive friends from 2:00 to 3:00, on Sunday, February 20, 2022 at Bethel Baptist Church 1004 Yorktown Rd. in Yorktown, Virginia. A service to celebrate Bill’s life will follow at Bethel Baptist Church at 3:00pm.