Birth Date: 04/10/1948
Deceased Date: 05/12/2018
Wilson Ray Mozingo, age 70, passed Saturday, May 12, 2018 in Rex Hospital in Raleigh. Born April 10, 1948 in Brogden he was a son of the late James Alvin and Annie Mary Best Mozingo. Ray was preceded in death by many brothers and sisters. He grew up on a small tobacco farm working on tractors and harvesting tobacco for long hours where he established his dedicated work ethic. At the age of 18, he left the farm to serve his country in the U.S. Marine Corp.
It was during the Vietnam war where Ray learned the art of bravery, never giving up during even the hardest of times when the odds were heavily stacked against him.
When Ray returned from the war, he left Brogden for Greenville and became the first of his fam-ily to go to college where he graduated with a degree in Business and Accounting at East Caroli-na University. He spent most of his career serving as a highly respected auditor and Supervisor of the Fraud, Waste and Abuse Division for the North Carolina State Auditor’s Office in Ra-leigh.
Ray retired from the State Auditor’s Office in 2000 to pursue his hobby of collecting and selling vintage sports cards and memorabilia. Like his favorite player, Mickey Mantle, he excelled as a power hitter in the game of baseball. He established Inside Pitch in 1985 and his collection of vintage baseball cards became known as one of the best on the east coast. Later, he also began promoting sports card shows and he made Inside Pitch Promotions the most successful and larg-est promoter of sports and toy collectible shows in North Carolina. Ray traveled the east coast promoting shows, bringing in Hall of Fame athletes to places like Raleigh for the fans to get au-tographs and meet up close. He worked with baseball and football legends such as Buck O’Neil, Chipper Jones, Bob Feller, and Julius Peppers. He also helped other promoters and was able to meet and work with ‘Yogi’ Berra, Pete Rose, Stan Musial, and the like.
Ray was very charismatic. He was a man of simple tastes. He was loved for his great generosity and he had a great sense of humor. His passions were taking care of his family, fishing, cooking and music. Ray’s album collection is massive. His signature Fried Chicken made us want to have seconds and thirds and then take a doggie bag home. He could out fish almost anyone. He was an amazing father and role model to his two children. Ray was married for fifty years to his high school sweetheart, Dot. He wrote her poetry and love letters from his base in Vietnam. Last but not least, he was known for his flowing silver hair and he had the prettiest baby blue eyes.
Funeral services will be conducted at 7:00 p.m. Thursday, May 17, 2018 in the chapel of Parrish Funeral Home with Rev. Dennis Pollock officiating. The family will receive friends from 6:00 – 7:00 p.m. Thursday evening just prior to the service. Burial, with military honors, will be con-ducted at 11:00 a.m. Friday in Princeton Cemetery.
Surviving are his wife, Dorothy “Dot” Mozingo; son, Brian Mozingo of Fayetteville; daughter, Michelle Mozingo of Clayton; brothers, Fred Mozingo of Selma and Don Mozingo of Sunset Beach; and sisters, Mary Alice Capps of Goldsboro, Carolyn Davis of Smithfield, and Hazel Pearce of Goldsboro
Online condolences may be sent to the family parrishfh.com.
