Family and friends fondly remember Ansonville Mayor Lyndell Ingram, who died last month.
Ingram died at Forest Oaks Health Care Center in Albemarle on Aug. 18.
He was elected mayor in late 2011 and took office in January 2012.
Family: Ingram’s parents
Ingram’s parents, Jessie and Nettie Ingram, remembered their son as a man of faith.
Both parents said Lyndell was very involved in his church, First Baptist in Ansonville, and had taken seminary courses. “He wanted to get the younger people more interested in church,” Jessie said.
The mayor was also dedicated to his work, they said. Jessie said that Lyndell would spend two or three days reading up on an issue at the town hall. He actively worked to bring business to town, and helped get brighter lighting in the town’s streetlights, they said.
Jessie also said that Lyndell was also looking into buildings in disrepair. “He was working on some of these old buildings standing up, working on getting some of them torn down,” Jessie said.
Both parents added that Lyndell was well-educated and always working on continuing his education. The mayor had received a bachelor of arts in sociology at Winston-Salem State University in 1995, a master of health administration in 2006 at Pfeiffer College, and his master of divinity degree from Shaw University in May 2015, according to his obituary.
The master of divinity degree was his “most honorable and cherished achievement,” according to his obituary, which also describes Ingram as “a proud warrior of his faith and continuance of higher education.”
Co-worker, friend: Mayor Joe Estridge
Mayor Joe Estridge was the mayor pro tem and voted by the town board as mayor during its meeting in September upon Ingram’s death.
Ingram’s death “really was a great loss to us,” Estridge said. “He had a great love for the town, great feeling for the town,” he said.
Estridge fondly remembered his time serving on the board with Ingram, saying that he had known the mayor and his family all his life. Ingram was a good friend and a good mayor, he said. “Mr. Ingram had a great vision, and great interest in seeing the town prosper,” he said. “He really worked hard and diligently to make those visions come true and tried to get some business back in town. He talked in depth with many, many people to try to get that going. He met with a lot of resistance, not people, but limitations that kept that from happening.”
Ingram had a heart for the town’s youth, Estridge said. “He wanted to see something for the kids to do other than stand around and play in the streets, and he wanted to have a park for them to play in,” he said. “He never was able to get the things he wanted to get done done. Unfortunately, like most towns, he was hampered by funds and money to get those things done sometimes.”
Although Estridge said Ingram wasn’t always able to accomplish everything he wanted to make the town prosper, he believes the late mayor made his mark. In fact, he felt that Ingram helped the town board so much that Estridge had a hard time narrowing down his list to the most important ones. “He put in the budget getting an officer to come [help patrol and ensure the safety of] the community, and he worked with the community together to create unity,” Estridge said. “I guess those were some of the best things he tried to do, and did, I should say.”
Ingram wasn’t just a good mayor, but a good person, Estridge said. “He was a great speaker and made everyone feel comfortable and welcome,” he remembered. “He was a very religious and spiritual person. He had a great, great belief, a strong belief, and led people with the heart he had with a love for each and everybody.”
Estridge said the loss of Ingram is felt by the board. “It was a great honor to work with Mr. Ingram as mayor the last three and a half years; his friendship will be missed sorely by all of us,” he said. “He was a great person. Not many people in this world left with the kindness and the love he had for his fellow man. He loved everybody. He had a heart of gold.”
Guestbook
Several friends and family of Ingram left notes in the online obituary memorial book for Ingram’s obituary with Smith Funeral’s Funeral Home.
Among the several people who left condolences in the guestbook, own utility director Jason Mullis wrote, “You had Great Visions for your small Town and was on the correct road of making the changes needed to keep our community great.”
Louise Hatcher, who met Ingram at Winston-Salem State University, wrote that the mayor “never met a stranger” and that Ingram was “very proud” to have attended the university.
Another WSSU alum, Lyda Harrison, wrote, “I will miss my friend, his smile, his laughter, words of wisdom and his sense of humor. But I know he is smiling and having a good time in heaven. That makes my heart feel better.”
To view the guestbook, visit www.hcsmithfuneralhome.com and search for Ingram’s obituary.
Town representatives said that a marker honoring Ingram has been ordered and will be placed along the walking trail in the town.