[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ theme_builder_area=”post_content” _builder_version=”4.27.8″ _module_preset=”default”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.27.8″ _module_preset=”default” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_column _builder_version=”4.27.8″ _module_preset=”default” type=”4_4″ theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.8″ _module_preset=”default” theme_builder_area=”post_content” link_option_url=”https:\/\/www.terryfuneralandcremation.com\/obituaries\/Ernest-Ronnie-Watkins?obId=49420755″ link_option_url_new_window=”on” hover_enabled=”0″ sticky_enabled=”0″]<\/p>\n
Ernest \u201cRonnie\u201d Watkins, 90, formerly of Mayodan, passed away on Tuesday, September 1, 2026, at the North Carolina State Veterans Home in Kernersville.<\/p>\n
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Ronnie was born in Rockingham County on July 28, 1936, the son of the late James Walter Watkins and Ola Virginia Newman Watkins. Graduating from Mayodan High School in 1955, he then attended East Carolina University before transferring to Western Carolina University where he graduated as an industrial designer in 1959. He proudly served his country in the United States Air Force Reserves and later enjoyed a long career as a technical draftsman in the electrical industry. He worked for Western Electric and AT&T, and during his career was contracted by NASA, where he had the distinction of contributing to the Apollo program.<\/p>\n
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Outside of his work, Ronnie\u2019s favorite pastime was golf. A talented golfer, he spent many enjoyable days on the course with his buddies and treasured the friendships he made through the game over the years. He was also an avid sports car fan and attended many races.<\/p>\n
In addition to his parents, Ronnie was preceded in death by his brother, Tommy Garland Watkins; and niece, Desiree Bowman.<\/p>\n
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Those left to cherish his memory include his brother, Vonn Watkins (Karen Keller) of Arizona; nephews, Anthony (Mary), Gary (Paula), and Allen (Cindy) Watkins; double first cousins, Billy T. and Frances Watkins; special friend and caregiver, Jerry Isley; friend, Ron Joyce; golfing buddies, Buddy Priest (Nancy) and Eddie Pegg; and many other friends and golfing companions who were an important part of Ronnie\u2019s life.<\/p>\n
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Memorial donations may be made to Mayodan Moravian Church, 104 S. 3rd Ave., Mayodan, NC 27027, or Pine Knolls Golf Club, 1100 Quail Hollow Road, Kernersville, NC 27284.<\/p>\n
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A 3:00 p.m. graveside service will be held on Thursday, September 10, 2026, at the Mayodan Moravian Graveyard. The family will receive friends on Wednesday evening, September 9, 2026, from 6:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. at the funeral home.<\/p>\n
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Ernest \u201cRonnie\u201d Watkins, 90, formerly of Mayodan, passed away on Tuesday, September 1, 2026, at the North Carolina State Veterans Home in Kernersville. Ronnie was born in Rockingham County on July 28, 1936, the son of the late James Walter Watkins and Ola Virginia Newman Watkins. Graduating from Mayodan High School in 1955, he […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3396,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[126,86],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12781","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-126","category-obituaries"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/affiliate.wcu.edu\/classnotes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12781","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/affiliate.wcu.edu\/classnotes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/affiliate.wcu.edu\/classnotes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/affiliate.wcu.edu\/classnotes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3396"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/affiliate.wcu.edu\/classnotes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12781"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/affiliate.wcu.edu\/classnotes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12781\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12784,"href":"https:\/\/affiliate.wcu.edu\/classnotes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12781\/revisions\/12784"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/affiliate.wcu.edu\/classnotes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12781"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/affiliate.wcu.edu\/classnotes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12781"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/affiliate.wcu.edu\/classnotes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12781"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}