SMITHFIELD – James Edmundson Jim Ragsdale, age 73, died Thursday afternoon at his home. Born April 18, 1930, in Wilson, N.C., he was a son of the late Thomas Smith and Caroline Edmundson Ragsdale. Jim was preceded in death by a brother, Thomas S. Ragsdale, Jr., and a sister, John F. Ragsdale. Mr. Ragsdale was educated at Woodberry Forest School in Orange, Va., The Citadel in Charleston, S.C., and the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, N.C., where he was a member of the Phi Delta Theta Fraternity. He was Executive Vice-President of T.S. Ragsdale Company, Inc., in Lake City, S.C. Leaf tobacco dealers and manufacturers of Embers Charcoal. Mr. Ragsdale was a member of the Rotary International and was a founder of the Carolina Academy in Lake City, S.C., where he served on the Board of Directors for many years. He was a member of the Board of Deacons of the Lake City Presbyterian Church and also served as a Sunday School Teacher. A memorial service will be conducted at 11 a.m., Monday (September 8, 2003) at the First Presbyterian Church in Smithfield with the Rev. John Causey and the Rev. Robert G. Trache officiating. Burial will follow at the Riverside Cemetery in Smithfield. Surviving are his wife, Carolyn Foy Ragsdale, formerly of High Point; daughters, Mary Foy Ragsdale of Wilson, N.C., and Eliza Robinson Ragsdale and her husband, the Reverend Robert Gustave Trache of Modesto, Calif.; son, James E. Ragsdale, Jr., and his wife, Marian Brown Ragsdale of Durham, N.C., and two grandsons, David Layton Gilbert, III, of Wilson and James E. Ragsdale, III, of Durham. In lieu of flowers, the family would prefer memorial contributions be made to the Public Library of Johnston County, c/o Jean Stowers, 205 Market Street, Smithfield, N.C. 27577. UNDERWOOD FUNERAL HOME in Smithfield is assisting the family with service details.
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