Robert Hunter Ranson Sr.'s Obituary
Robert Hunter "Bobby" Ranson, Sr., 95, of Huntersville went from the loving arms of his family to be with his Lord & Savior, Jesus Christ on April 24, 2024. He was born on January 3, 1929 in Mecklenburg County to the late William Earl Ranson and Sarah Eugenia Henderson Ranson.
Bobby was a strong Christian man who leaves a wonderful legacy for the many lives he touched. He had a positive, glass-half-full outlook on life. He was an encourager, visionary, lived by the golden rule & asked his family & employees to do the same.
Bobby was a 4th generation native of Huntersville. His paternal grandfather, W.J. Ranson was a dairy farmer & the first mayor of Huntersville. His grandmother, Ellen Hunter Ranson was from the Hunter family for whom the town was named. The Hunter Ranson homeplace still stands on the corner of Old Statesville Rd & Huntersville-Mt Holly Road. Bobby’s maternal grandfather, Robert Eugene Henderson, better known as Bud Henderson, was a lawyer, farmer, & county commissioner for many years. In addition to his extended Ranson family, this grandfather also had a large positive influence in Bobby’s life as his family lived with Papa Bud after Bobby’s grandmother Adeline Miller Henderson passed away.
As a youth, Bobby enjoyed running & helped both of his grandfathers, working on their respective farms. He would literally run to various locations where his uncles & others were working to take them their lunch. His physical fitness served him well when he was in the military as he was very fit & able to hold up to the rigors of basic training & in Korea. He also worked with his father, Earl Ranson who ran a plumbing business before World War II & later his brother Billy Ranson. In addition he worked for Jack Hefner Plumbing & then Harry White Plumbing for many years in Charlotte before he & his wife & life partner, Betty started their own business.
Bobby was a Korean War veteran & was a member of the American Legion for over 70 years. His life was a great example of service: he not only served his Lord, his country, his family & the community, but also taught others to do the same.
As a life-long member of Huntersville Presbyterian Church, Bobby was very active in the church as a Deacon & an Elder, teaching Sunday School & served on numerous committees. He rarely pursued hobbies as his emphasis was on his family, church, & work. He was of the generation who saved, rather than spending, his hard earned money & repaired tools & appliances as opposed to throwing them out to buy new ones. He saw neither things, nor people as disposable & was blessed with many lifelong friendships in addition to his large & loving family.
He & his wife Betty founded North Mecklenburg Plumbing Co in the 1970’s running it initially out of their home & then built several different office buildings on Gilead Road in the 80’s & finally the current building in 2000 all of which are where the Rosedale Shopping Center is now. Nearly 50 years later, North Mecklenburg Plumbing is still going strong. He never failed to ask about his church & the business even to the day before his death, always wanting to know how things were going. His advice to his employees was treat others as you wish to be treated yourself.
Bobby was an encourager & visionary. He always encouraged his family & employees to improve themselves, to further their careers & even go out on their own in business. During the early years of development in the North Mecklenburg area, when I-77 was being built through Huntersville in the 1970’s, he encouraged & in fact urged the town leaders to extend water & sewer connection to the west side of the town. This greatly eased the way for future development of the town to the west of I-77. He was also among the business men who organized the North Mecklenburg Chamber of Commerce & became a Charter member, serving on the Board of Directors.
Survivors include his son, Robert Ranson Jr and wife Josephine Ryan of Mooresville; daughter, Julie Hester & husband Hal of Huntersville; 10 grandchildren: Shawn Ryan, Scott Ryan, Kimberly Ryan, Brendan Ryan, Kathryn Stacy Ranson Ryan, Robert Lacy Ranson, Bernard Tomlinson Ranson, Harold Wilkerson Hester III & wife Katie, William Hunter Ranson, Luke Ranson Hester & wife Brynne, and 11 great-grandchildren: Zack Ryan, Jonah Ryan, Colin Ryan, Hunter Ranson, Desmond Ranson, Aiden Ryan, Ruby Ranson, Melody Ranson, James Hester, Andrew Hester, Thessely Hester & brother-in-law Paul Walters.
He is preceded in death by his wife Betty Hooks Ranson. They were married 61 years & she was the love of his life. As Betty’s health declined, his love & dedication to her was an inspiration to all. He is also preceded in death by 3 brothers William E Ranson, Jr, Eugene Henderson Ranson, James Ranson, sister Katherine Miller Ranson, sisters-in-law Ann Ranson, Ruth Walters, & Doris Fortner.
The family’s heartfelt thanks goes to the staff at Caring Hearts of Grace as well as the Home Instead staff. Their loving devotion & care for our father made it not only possible, but enjoyable for him to stay in his own independent living apartment at the Gardens of Taylor Glen where he & our mother moved in 2007.
Memorials may be made to Huntersville Presbyterian Church, P.O. Box 313, Huntersville NC 28070.
Help us celebrate the long & blessed life of Robert Hunter Ranson, Sr. Visitation will be 5-7 PM Friday, May 3 at James Funeral Home. The graveside with military honors will be held at 12:00 Saturday, May 4 at Huntersville Presbyterian Church Cemetery. A Service to celebrate his life will follow at 1:00 at Huntersville Presbyterian Church with a reception after the service in the Family Life Center.
James Funeral Home of Huntersville is serving the family.
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