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North Escambia’s Very Own Road Man: Rigby Retires After 25 Years
August 28, 2009
Sometimes a man can move a mountain.
In the case of Ron Rigby, he has probably moved the equivalent of several mountains during his career. Rigby is retiring from the Escambia County Road Department after 25 years –all but just a few months of those years operating a Gradall excavator, moving tons and tons of dirt across North Escambia.
When Rigby climbed into the operator’s seat of a Gradall Thursday at the road department’s Camp Five near Byrneville, he said it was a part of him he was going to miss. Like a surgeon, turned excavator arm around effortlessly. There was a smile on his face –sometimes a man just enjoys his work. And his coworkers.
“I’ve been with these guys so long,” Rigby said of the others that work out of Camp Five, the county road department’s headquarters for all projects in North Escambia’s District 5. “They are all like family. I’ve really enjoyed working with them. I’m going to miss them all.”
Rigby was hired by the county road department 25 years ago. Within six months, he was assigned to work on a Gradall, digging ditches and moving dirt all over North Escambia.
Over the years, he watched many men hired to haul dirt or bush hog road shoulders as they worked their way up through the ranks to various supervisory positions. But Rigby was always at home behind the controls of his excavator. Many of his coworkers described that excavator as an extension on his arms.
He said that he will always remember being part of constructing various roads around North Escambia. “I ride down Rockaway Creek Road,” he said, mentioning it as just one example, “and I remember when we paved it. It makes you feel good.”
He said he’ll never forget the 12 hour days for weeks at a time after hurricanes Erin, Opal, Ivan and Dennis. “They were a lot of work for everybody,” he said.
Thursday, Rigby’s coworkers gathered at Camp Five for a congratulatory luch — fried fish with all the fixin’s and a retirement cake complete with the Road Runner Looney Tunes character.
They laughed, shared stories of being stuck in muddy ditches and remembered Rigby’s quarter century serving the citizens of North Escambia.
“I’m really go to miss them,” he said.
Rigby said he is looking forward to his retirement and spending more time with is wife Suzanne. He’s also looking forward to some good fishing and hunting time, and perhaps even a little travel.
“You know,” he said, “I am really looking forward to enjoying Susie and the time we can together.”
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Comments
29 Responses to “North Escambia’s Very Own Road Man: Rigby Retires After 25 Years”
congratulations on your retirement. hope you and suzanne get to do all you hope
to do now that you have the time.
regina
Congratulations Ronnie! I guess the fish and deer in Escambia county will not stand a chance! Enjoy your well deserved and overdue rest!
CONGRATULATIONS Mr. Ronnie!! I have enjoyed working with you for 20 plus years. You have a work ethic that just is not seen anymore. I could always count on you to get the job done and to get it done right. Working in the utilities business sometimes gets a little hairy, but when there are great people like you, it makes my job much easier. Thank you so much for the many years of dedicated service and friendship. Me and my family wish you soooo much joy, peace and happiness during your retirement. I hope to someday be in your shoes….
Thanks,
Lamont Godwin (and family)
Congratulations Ronnie!!!
Proud to see you made it to retirement and thank you for all the hard work you have done. Hopefully, you and Suzanne have many more happy trails together. We pray God’s hand continue to surround and protect you.
David and Jackie Johnson
Congratulations to both of you, Ronnie and Suzanne. May your Rhino always ride top-side up. May there always be an old empty shack near-by in unexpected storm. And, may the road between our house and yours be well traveled.
Love and prayers,
Jackie and Harold
Job well done our “good and faithful” gradall man. We will miss seeing you up high on that equipment but love to see you round more on that gator! There is more to life than being alive, now you and Suzanne can have time to live. Your a great neighbor, thanks for your dedication to making the northend a better place to drive and best of luck on your retirement!
Ronnie, it is with great joy that I say congrats. I remember coming up as a young RCO working with you and learning a lot. Who in a hundred years would know that I would get the honor to be one of your supervisors. I consider that a milestone, you made me and the crew look good. You always had a smile and were very courtious to the citizens. You can never be duplicated!! Thank you first for being a mentor and a friend. May God bless you and your family. If you ever need anything, just call.
Lonnie
Ronnie,
Congratulations on your retirement! You and Suzie have worked hard for this day and we wish you good health and hope you enjoy your retirement years together. Hope ya’ll can get up to Georgia to see us some time.
Love to all,
Shirley and Herb
Ron, You deserve it Boss!!! I hope you get some time now to spend on the river.
Hello Ron.Hope you get everthing you want,And been dreaming of Dreaming of.
Ron, it has been quite a ‘journey’ from high school sweethearts, to 42 years of marriage, with 2 sons, one grandson and his mom. We went from 12 years of farming to 5 years of construction, 25+ years of county road work with ditching, driveways, and 6 years of road building and paving. Never mind the four hurricanes y’all had to cleanup after~7/24s 12+ hours/day, for weeks. You have been a big part in making a difference for the people in North Escambia County. Who would have ever dreamed that we would one day be driving on paved roads instead of the muddy, dusty or rub-board dirt roads we grew up with? What a blessing it has been to sooo many! And how blessed we have been to have shared our journey with some of the best friends and co-workers anyone could have ask for. Now, the journey continues! No more punching time clocks. No more bouncing on equipment. And we can ride that Rhino into the sunset if we want to~ well, maybe not that far, but we have some great neighbors and we can drop in on them or check out the wildlife or go camping or fishing (or hunting) and just enjoy the beauty of nature all around us that God has blessed us with. I look forward to the next season in our lives ~guess this would be our “fall’…(no more ballet for me, LOL!) Just remember, it’s the fall of the year when the wild flowers bloom and butterflies are everywhere. Butterflies are symbolic of new life and new beginnings. Like Kenny Roger’s song~ “Through the Years” …together we made it, with God’s help and I pray we will enjoy many sunrises and sunsets together! Love you, Babe! Suzi xmxmxm
Congratulations on your retirement, now maybe we can see both of you sometime other than family members funerals and the RIGBY reunions. If you can fire that RV up and remember that it’s not a road grader, maybe we could travel around together. Again congratulations and CHEERS AND BEERS. Your cousin over in south Georgia.
Congratulations Ron!!! Just got the e-mail today and opened the newspaper account of the article and pictures. That’s quite the road machinery you’ve been handling for 25 years ~ what a monster. Well now I’m sure Suz will keep you mighty busy and your grandson Grady as well.
I have a lot of friends up here in Washington state that work for Grant County Road Dept and Washington State DOT. In those 2 cases ~ son works for the county and dad works for the State of Washington. Good jobs!
God Bless you ~ Suz’ coulee sista Linda from way up northcentral Washington State
Congrats Ronnie!!! Suzanne, what are you going to do with Ronnie home EVERY day?
Congratulations to a very special cousin on your Retirement.
Agnes Grant
Congratulations! and Best Wishes for your retirement! I hope you and Suzie really enjoy your time togeather, I think you earned and deserve it. Maby now we can see more of each other (other than at funerals and the like). I would like to go fishing or maby hunting with you. When you get ready, just let me know.
Again, we send our best wishes to the both of you. May GOD richly bless you and your family.
Your CUZ, Dan and Willette
Good luck Ronnie and thanks for everything you have done for me over the years, I have missed you guys for a while now and there is nothing like working at the north end. Most of the old timers are gone and its never going to be the same without you. Dee Dee
Congrats on your retirement!!!!!
This is wonderful Uncle Ronnie! You deserve some time to smell the flowers and enjoy the rewards of life. This is a great accomplishment.
Love you,
Dena
THE BEST DAYS ARE AHEAD. HOPE TO SEE YOU MORE OFTEN AROUND THE CAMP. ENJOY THE DAYS AHEAD. GLENN MILSTEAD
congratulations,ronnie. Good for you! There is more to life than working. Go and enjoy it now. GOD, family, friends, hunting , fishing, or just being able to sit on the poarch and drink a cup of coffie with your wife. Now you can. Thanks for all the phone cables you didnt cut that were ” in your way ” and for the few you did cut i got paid , and had a good time hanging out with you guys. If you get to bored go over to the club, daddy and a bunch of the other guys go over there every day to shoot the breeze. “LIE ” about the past. . you know ,the 10 pt deer and the 10 lbs bass they got that no one has ever seen. hope to see you around . keith peebles
Congrats Ronnie,
I know you love what you do, You have worked so hard for so long… I hope that you and Suzanne enjoy your retirement and time together… You know you are going to have a endless honey do list now don’t you? LOL I love you guys… Congrats again on your retirement… You deserve it
Love u,
Marti Leigh
Congratulations Ronnie. I miss working with you guys, and I know you’ll miss working there as well. What the story reads is so true, that the Gradall is an extension of your arm.
There is nothing like watching someone run a piece of equipment as well as you ran that Gradall. You were to a Gradall what Ron Weaver was to a Grader; and you are both two people I would have loved to been able to operate like. The County is going to be hard pressed to find more like the two of you if that’s even possible.
Enjoy those sun rises with Suzanne that you use to watch at the camp each morning while waiting for the work day to start. You both deserve this retirement and your time together it brings.
Renee
Congratulations Dad! Don’t know anyone who deserves it more than you do!
Now, after all those years of bouncing on that Gradall, you & Ma can chill out, enjoy fishing, or hit the road~just enjoy each other! May God bless your journey through life together! We love you and are so proud of you!
Congratulations Ronnie! You deserve retirement and time to enjoy life without the pressures and demands of a job. I know you won’t just quit you will always be busy and working. Do go fishing and catch the big one!
Congrats Mr. Rigby. Enjoy the free time !!!
Congratulations Dad!!! You really deserve it!!!!!!!!!! Love you!!!!!!!!
Congratulations, Ronnie. I hope you have many, many more years ahead to enjoy life with Suzanne just relaxing. I’m looking forward to a retirement myself, but have to wait a while.
You classmate from Ernest Ward for 12 yrs!!!
Rita
Congrats Ron!! Enjoy your retirement.