Richard C. Ranson

Dick Ranson
January 2, 1942 - October 1, 2014

Mr. Richard Cobb Ranson (Dick) of Charlotte, NC died from lymphoma on Wednesday, October 1, 2014.

Born January 2, 1942 in Cleveland, Ohio, he was the younger son of the late Harriet Cobb Ranson and Lloyd Russell Ranson of Charlotte. He was proud of being a fourth generation Charlottean.

Dick attended Eastover School and graduated from Myers Park High School. He was a 1964 accounting graduate and an enthusiastic supporter of Duke University, where he was a member of Sigma Nu Fraternity.

After serving in the Army, he joined Haskins & Sells (now Deloitte) and helped form Option Management Company. He worked at Duke Power Company (now Duke Energy) for twenty-seven years, ten in Corporate Finance, where he served as Corporate Treasurer. He later was Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Crescent Resources, Inc. and was a Senior Vice President of Duke Energy.

Dick loved to travel. Upon retiring, he and Judy travelled with friends to 54 countries throughout Europe and Asia. His favorite countries were Greece, Turkey, the Baltic nations, and especially Italy. As a teen and adult Dick loved music; he also taught ballroom dancing as a teenager. He delighted in everything at Wrightsville Beach: beach music, shagging, crabbing, cooking and eating seafood every night. His love of cooking increased when he retired and remodeled the kitchen. He enjoyed his home at Lake Norman and thoroughly relished teaching his children and others to water ski. He always felt he was very blessed in so many ways.

Dick is survived by his wife of forty-seven years, Judy, his sons Skipp and his wife, Paige of Charlotte, Michael and his wife, Tracy of New York City, and adorable grandsons Buck, Weller and Adlai. He is also survived by his brother, Russell Ranson, Jr. and wife, Anne of Charlotte, his brother-in-law Chuck Niedringhaus and wife Jan of Nashville TN, his loving dog, Kudzu and many cousins, nieces and nephews.

Dick was a member of Myers Park Presbyterian Church where he was ordained an elder and deacon. He also was active in Meadowlake Presbyterian Church in Huntersville, NC. When vacationing in Wrightsville Beach he attended and was a Friend of the Little Chapel on the Boardwalk. He served the church, including the Presbytery of Charlotte, by offering his uncanny ability to focus on the bottom line.

Mr. Ranson was a member of the American Institute of CPA’s, the NC Association of CPA’s and was past president of the Southern Carolinas Chapter of the Financial Executive Institute. He also served in many civic endeavors and on various community boards from United Way to Charlotte Latin School.  Dick initiated a ministry of corresponding with and praying for people in prison, and through it, he touched lives deeply.

At the time of his death, he was a member of Charlotte Country Club where he enjoyed playing golf.

A service to celebrate Dick’s life will be held at 2:00 PM on Monday October 6, 2014   at Myers Park Presbyterian Church with a reception following in Oxford Hall. Officiating for Mr. Ranson will be Rev. Michelle Thomas-Bush and Rev. Jane Summey Mullennnix.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be sent to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, 4530 Park Road Suite 240, Charlotte, NC 28209 and the Patricia Fields Scholarship Fund at Myers Park Presbyterian Church, 2501 Oxford Place, Charlotte, NC 28207.