Obituary of William John Ringler

Born in North Carolina, William grew up in Fayetteville, Hawaii and Tonawanda, NY. As the youngest of seven children growing up on military bases, he received much guidance and mentorship from his brothers and sisters about everything from motorcycle and car repair to building a backyard pool constructed from plywood, and other unique (but harmless) shenanigans. William had an adventurous spirit, and beginning in his teen years, began to travel the country, and to spend time hiking, skiing, and exploring nature. He attended Western Carolina University and with his partner (who would later become his wife) Denise, they moved to Albany, NY, where William began working as a laboratory technician in the environmental division of Bender Hygienic Laboratory, a nonprofit laboratory devoted to water testing for municipalities across New York State. He eventually became the supervisor of the laboratory. He left Bender when he and Denise moved back to NC in 1993, and were married on a small farm they purchased in Ashe County. William had a dream to pursue high-tech horticulture, and constructed greenhouses on the farm, where he grew hydroponic basil and tomatoes, selling them to wholesalers and farmers' markets in the Triad area. Their daughter Emma was born in 1996 and shortly after that, they moved to the Boone area, where their son Jeremy was born two years later. During those years, William devoted himself to fulfilling another dream: building their family home near Valle Crucis, and to parenting Emma and Jeremy. While these pursuits were a major change from his previous career in laboratory science, they brought him great joy and satisfaction. One of his favorite pursuits was traveling with family every summer and sharing new adventures with his children. William was a loving and devoted husband, father, son, brother, and community member whose kindness and love of life affected and inspired all who knew him. William is survived by his wife, Denise, son Jeremy, daughter and fiancé Emma Ringler and Dustin Dutton, sisters (and brothers-in-law) Carol and Dave Kewley and Mary and Bill Newton; brothers (and sisters-in-law) Mike and Lynn Ringler, Tom Ringler, Rich and Carolyn Ringler, and Charles and Darlene Ringler, sister and brother-in-law Nancy Weissberg and Daniel Lobdell, and many nieces and nephews. William's family wishes to extend its thanks to the medical team at Wake Forest Baptist Hospital who provided care and support for him in recent weeks. A future memorial service for family members is being planned.