affectionately known as "Ronnie" by his family, Ron by his wife, Daddy by his children and Papa by his grandchildren was born on November 2, 1941, to the late Edward Gregory and Vertilia Oakley Gregory in Oxford, North Carolina.  Ronald was the first of four children, raised and nurtured in a loving and hardworking family where his parents instilled in him the value of faith, family and education at an early age.  He passed peacefully on Friday, January 21, 2022, at Duke Raleigh Hospital in Raleigh, North Carolina surrounded by his wife, Linda, and children.  In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his brother, Clifford D. Gregory.

Ronald was a loving and supportive husband, father, grandfather, friend and strong advocate for education and worked tirelessly to improve the communities he served.  He dedicated more than fifty-two years of his life to enriching and molding the lives of children matriculating in Warren, Wake and Vance County Public School Systems.

He received his early education in the Granville County Public Schools and graduated from Mary Potter Academy in 1959.  He earned his Bachelor of Arts in Education from Winston-Salem Teachers College in Winston-Salem, North Carolina (now Winston-Salem State University) and went on to attain a Master of Science in Education from North Carolina A&T State University in Greensboro, North Carolina.

As an educator, he understood early on that education was a great equalizer and thus began his career as a classroom teacher.  That period also included time spent coaching junior high school football, basketball and baseball, so to many, he was also known as Coach .  His professional career saw him rise in the ranks of education, serving as Assistant Principal, Principal and then as Assistant Superintendent of Vance County Schools, Interim Superintendent and finally in 2011 ascending to Superintendent of Vance County Schools where he served faithfully until he retired in 2015.  Most notably he was the first African American Superintendent for Vance County Schools.

As a humble, yet natural born leader and advocate, who was known for being 'stern' and 'straight-to-the-point,' Ronald led the redistricting of Vance County Schools; oversaw the facilities, maintenance and transportation resources and was a strong supporter of the school system's athletic programs.  He was critical in impacting Vance County School System's growth and under his visionary and inspirational leadership he was able to advance the quality of public education for current and future students living in the area.  He truly believed in serving all students but understood that by uplifting the most vulnerable of students, all students would be elevated ensuring that our community would collectively continue to succeed.

"It takes more resources to education kids of poverty, but make no mistake about it, kids of poverty can learn just as all other kids can learn and it's up to us to make sure we provide those opportunities for them because if we don't,  we failed our community, failed our schools and failed our people." --Ronald E. Gregory.

His lifelong work as an educator and service to the community brought him numerous accolades. Other accomplishments include facilities growth as he oversaw the completion of Southern Vance High School, Zeb Vance and Dabney Elementary Schools, along with expansion projects to Caver, New Hope, L.B. Yancy and E. M. Rollins Elementary Schools.  As Vance County and the school system continued to grow, he assisted in the start of Western Vance High School, the Nursing Academy, Fire Fighter Academy and pushed for Career & Technical Education (CTE) programs and certifications in the school systems.  Lastly, he originated and wrote a grant to ensure every child in Vance County received a free breakfast and lunch.

Ronald's life mission of bettering the lives of children, by providing high-quality education to all students in Vance County, caused him to be active civically, serving and working with social, civic and community organizations.  Of note, he served on the Vance County Board of Trustees, Vance-Granville Community College Board of Trustees and Vance County Branch of the NAACP. He was also a member of the Vance County Rams Club and the Zeta Alpha Chapter of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc.

Ronald touched many lives in his long-dedicated service to the families and youth of Vance, Granville, Wake and Warren Counties, as he sought to elevate and promote support for public education.  Yet, it is important to note, Ronald did not allow his professional career to supersede his role as a loving husband, proud father, grandfather, brother, uncle, cousin and friend to many!

Close friends and family will remember that after retirement in 2015, Ronald dedicated his time to his love of cooking, home gardening and improvement projects with mom, summers with grandkids, sharing time with friends at basketball and football tournaments, RV'ing and senior citizen trips.

Left to carry on his legacy and cherish fond memories are his loving and devoted wife of thirty-eight years, Linda; his children, Brandon, Ryan and Pherin; his grandchildren, Tyler, Bryson and Braven; one brother, Calvin "Tim" Gregory (Brenda); one sister, Yvonne Kittrell (Charles); two loving sisters-in-law, Georgia Dilworth (Curtis) and Bridget Bailey (Plummer) who was more like a sister; a host of nieces, nephews, aunts, cousins and dear friends.

Funeral services were conducted on Friday, January 28, 2022 at 3:00 P.M. at Meadowview Memorial Park by Reverend C. J. Dale.