William Ronald "Ronnie" Pleasant

William “Ron” Pleasant, of Fayetteville, passed away on November 24, 2019 at his home. He was 81 years old and had battled Parkinson’s for the past seventeen years.

He is survived by his wife of 39 years, Annette Franklin Pleasant, and by his three loving sons and their families:  William R. Pleasant, Jr., his wife, Shannon and their two children, Benjamin and Alexander, of Hickory, NC; Thomas Pleasant and his five children, Matthew, Oliver, Samuel, Seth and Abigail, of Wilmington, NC; and William G. Pleasant and his four children, Breeze, Eva, Sofia and Sauna of Boone, NC.  He is also survived by his only brother, G. Michael Pleasant, and his wife, Donna Shaw Pleasant of Fayetteville, NC.  His father, W. Glenn Pleasant, and mother Flora Williford Pleasant predeceased him.

Ron was born on the family farm, located in western Johnston County, and spent the next 17 years in school and never-ending farm work.  He attended grade school in Benson.  Later he transferred to Angier High School, graduating in 1956.  He was accepted into and entered Wake Forest College (now University) at the age of seventeen and in 1961 he was awarded a BBS Degree in Business with a concentration in Finance.

His work career focused on construction and construction products, starting 1961 with Cape Fear Block Company (Adams Block), which was owned by his uncle, Marvin Dickens, and his father, W. Glenn Pleasant.  In 1965 he moved to Lumberton, NC and built the first of a multi-plant ready-mixed concrete that served a market of thirteen counties in eastern North Carolina.  After 40 years of continuously serving this market, the business was sold to an international firm based in South America.

In 1971, Ron secured a North Carolina General Contractor’s License for building contractors, which was later upgraded to “Unclassified and Unlimited” status.  His focused choice of construction was “heavy construction” and he successfully built a myriad of projects for local industrial plants, as well as the United States Marines at Camp Lejeune, the United States Air Force at Pope Air Force Base, and the United States Army at Ft. Bragg and Camp McCall.  He was proud of the talents and loyalty of his employees and was quick to give them full credit for the success of his companies.

The two things that Ron insisted “Made me what I am” were the Presbyterian Church and Wake Forest.  He was raised in the Presbyterian Church and have never waivered in his loyalty.  He continued as an active member of Highland Presbyterian Church in Fayetteville, NC.  His choice to attend “Wake Forest” also had a profound impact on his life.  While he didn’t realize the value when attending, he soon became aware that he had received a world-class business education that proved invaluable over his years of doing business.

Ron understood the value of time and knew that is was his most valuable resource: so much to do and so little time.  He balanced life with social demands, he made lists that changed as new interests came into his life, and he read.  Books were as important as breathing.  He had a significant library that leaned toward the “classics”.  He was a voracious reader who appreciated the style of writing as much as the content.  He was amazed that one could convey so many thoughts, express feelings, share ideas, and accomplish many other things too numerous to list, with just twenty-six letters.

A Memorial service will be held Sunday at 2 pm at Highland Presbyterian Church.  The family will receive friends after the service at the church.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to Highland Presbyterian Church. 

Online condolences may be sent to www.jerniganwarren.com

Services entrusted to Jernigan-Warren Funeral Home, 545 Ramsey St., Fayetteville, NC  28301

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