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Livingston legend among storm's victims
A seemingly larger-than-life Livingston County legend has died.Don Ringstaff, 84, passed away Wednesday at his son’s home in Salem.
Gov. Andy Beshear said Ringstaff’s death was among a dozen attributed statewide to the winter storm that moved through Kentucky earlier this week.
Livingston County authorities explained that Ringstaff’s death was considered weather-related because after his vehicle became stuck in the snow, he exited it and walked a short distance to his son’s home, where he later suffered a medical emergency.
Ringstaff’s name is woven deeply into Livingston County sports history as both an elite player and a highly successful coach.
“When you hear the name Coach Ringstaff, that is Livingston Central basketball,” said current Livingston Central coach Matt Hargrove. “He’s legendary and embodies everything Livingston Central basketball was about, and you couldn’t find a better person.”
Hargrove and others in the community said it was a shock to learn of Ringstaff’s passing, which came just days after the Board of Education announced plans to memorialize what he meant to the school by naming the gymnasium floor for him.
“He was a legend, and I don’t say that about too many people around here,” said former Livingston Central basketball coach Jimmy Croft. “He was a walking, talking legend, and he’d talk to everybody. He never met a stranger and was just a gentleman.”
Ringstaff’s wife, Sue, survives.
Visitation is 5-8 p.m., Saturday, Jan. 31 at Boyd’s Funeral Home in Salem. The funeral is at 2 p.m., Sunday, Feb. 1 at the Livingston Central High School gymnasium.
See the complete obituary at Boyd Funeral Directors and Cremation Services in Salem.
For more on the legacy of Coach Don Ringstaff, click here.
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