Virginia Wingate (Louise) Rickards

Virginia Wingate (Louise) Rickards April 1, 1944 - September 4, 2026 Virginia Wingate (Louise) Rickards, 82, of Ocala, Florida, passed away peacefully at home on the morning of Friday, September 4, 2026, surrounded by her family and loved ones. Virginia was born April 1, 1944, in Ocean View, Delaware, the daughter of George W. Wingate Sr. and Harriet E. (Murray) Wingate. She graduated from Lord Baltimore School in 1962 and began working at DuPont Nylon in Seaford, Delaware. On June 28, 1968, Virginia married Allan Rickards, a former classmate who was then serving in the U.S. Air Force. They were married at St. George’s United Methodist Church by the Rev. Melvin Tingle, beginning a marriage that would span 58 years and carry them through several states, new communities, and many chapters of family life. Their first home was a small apartment in South Hadley, Massachusetts, where Allan was stationed at Westover Air Force Base. In 1969, they returned to Delaware after Allan accepted a position with NCR Corporation. They eventually built a home near their families and began raising their three daughters, Kathy Louise, Kimberly Lynn, and Kristy Lee. Virginia devoted herself to raising her daughters, putting family at the center of their home. Caring for children came naturally to her, and over time it became one of the clearest throughlines of her life. In 1981, the family moved to Easley, South Carolina, after NCR closed its Millsboro plant. St. Andrew United Methodist Church became an important part of their new community. Virginia sang in the choir and worked alongside Allan as a youth leader. She also worked with South Carolina Social Services, transporting children between field offices. The Rickards’ next move came in 1985, when Allan’s work took the family to Peachtree City, Georgia. There, Virginia found a new way to put her gift for caring for children to work. She began by looking after her pastor’s young children at Peachtree United Methodist Church, which led to a position with the church’s Mother’s Morning Out program. She eventually became its director and helped grow the program from one day a week to five. Virginia believed deeply that mothers – especially new moms – needed a helping hand, and she had an instinctive way with children. Generations of young families came to know her as “Miss Ginny,” and the affection was always mutual. The children in Virginia’s life also knew that caring for them sometimes meant telling them exactly what she thought. She had a disarming honesty and resisted saying things just because they were what someone wanted to hear. But she also understood that honesty could be delivered with kindness. One of her guiding principles was, “Say what you mean and mean what you say, but don’t say it mean.” She regularly reminded the children around her to “be kind.” And when life – or the people she loved – seemed to be moving a little too quickly, she often said: “Hold on, go slow!” Virginia and Allan retired in December 2004. Before settling into their new home in Ocala, they traveled across the United States and spent time in Temecula, California, with their daughter Kim and son-in-law Josh. Ocala became home for the final chapter of their life together, and Virginia embraced it fully. She and Allan joined Ocala West United Methodist Church, and Virginia found plenty of ways to stay active and connected. She enjoyed dancing, exercise classes, and walking in the community, and she volunteered for 10 years with Central Transport at Munroe Regional Medical Center. Retirement also gave Virginia and Allan more time for the people and experiences they loved. They remained closely involved in the lives of their children and grandchildren and traveled widely, especially enjoying cruises together and trips to Hawaii, the Caribbean, and Europe. On weekend evenings, they often went dancing together in the OTOW square, something that came naturally to a couple who spent nearly six decades moving through life by each other’s side. Virginia is survived by her husband of 58 years, Allan Rickards; her daughters, Kathy Louise McGill, Kimberly Lynn Keisler and Kristy Rickards (Lee) Boney; her brother, David Wingate, and his wife, Susan; and her six grandchildren, Gentry Pham (Keisler), Joely Keisler, Caitlin McGill, Logan McGill, Conor Boney and Grant Boney. She was preceded in death by her parents, George W. Wingate Sr. and Harriet E. Wingate; her sisters, Ruth Ann Marvel and Nancy Steele; and her brother, George Wingate Jr. A service will be held at noon. on Friday, September 11, 2026, at Ocala West United Methodist Church, 9330 SW 105th St., Ocala, FL 34481. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations to Ocala West UMC with the notation “Residing Hope (Children’s Home)”.