Ronald "Ron" Sidney Bird

Ron Bird passed away peacefully on June 1, 2024, in Winston-Salem, at the age of 82.

Ron is survived by his wife Carol, the love of his life for over 58 years; his three children Scott (Melissa), Courtney Johnson (Matt), and Melissa Bird (Chris); and his three grandchildren, Katherine, Robert and Eva.

Ron was born September 5th, 1941 in War, West Virginia. His family always thought being born on Labor Day was appropriate as he was truly the hardest working man. Starting as a young kid with a paper route, he always worked to help his family and put himself through school. He said “busy hands are happy hands!”

Ron’s childhood could be described as “unpredictable” at best. He moved multiple times, including to Tennessee, Washington, Ethiopia and Rome. Constantly starting over at new schools taught him resilience, but he found great comfort and inspiration in any local library.

Ron and his younger sister Jane found solace during their childhood at Grandma Bird’s family home in Athens, West Virginia, where she affectionately called him “Honeychild.” He spent many summers in Athens where he made his happiest memories growing up.

He graduated from Marshall University with a degree in Economics, the love of his life, Carol, and a Viet Nam Draft notice.

Ron had an entrepreneurial spirit as evidenced by several businesses he launched over his professional career. He became President of Fit-All Sportswear, which was named by Inc magazine as a “Top 500 Fastest-Growing Companies” in 1986.

He was passionate about golf, books, astronomy (which included dragging his kids to Pilot Mountain at 4am to view Haley’s Comet through his telescope), genealogy research and sports (especially Wake Forest Basketball and the Atlanta Braves).

Ron’s kids and grandkids can confirm that his greatest skill was being a jokester. Always quick with a dad joke, he really brought his A-game on April Fool’s Day, his favorite day of the year. He uniquely possessed the following skills: home projects, including building TV; plugging leaks in his man-made fish pond; solving any math problem; identifying constellations; and reminding his three kids how much harder he had it as a child.

The funeral is scheduled for 2:00 pm on June 8, 2024, at Hayworth-Miller Funeral Home at 3315 Silas Creek Parkway, Winston-Salem, NC 27103 with a reception immediately following next door, in the Robert F. Miller Center. All are welcome to attend and celebrate Ron’s life. In lieu of flowers, please send donations to Trellis Supportive Care at 101 Hospice Lane, Winston-Salem, NC 27103. The family would like to thank the Palliative Care team at Novant Health Forsyth Medical Center and Trellis Supportive Care at the Kate B. Reynolds Hospice facility.