Ronnie O. Tharrington

Ronnie O. Tharrington—a devoted husband, father, papa, and distinguished leader—passed
away peacefully, surrounded by the love of family on February 15, 2026, at the age of 88. He
and his identical twin brother, Tommie, were born on July 1, 1937, to farmers Mary Lou Gupton
Tharrington and Owen F. Tharrington on the outskirts of Louisburg, North Carolina. His close-
knit family also included two younger brothers, DeWitt and Michael, and a younger sister named
Priscilla. Their farm was located somewhere between Slosh and Alert, as Ronnie liked to say, in
a quiet corner of Franklin County, where more cows roamed than people.

As teenagers, Ronnie and Tommie drove the bus to pick up other students on their way to school. Before and after classes, the twins tended to the family’s crops and animals. The discipline of caring for the farm shaped Ronnie and his siblings into hardworking and dedicated citizens. Hard work was ingrained in their DNA. But Ronnie and Tommie still somehow found time for a little mischief, too. These real stories about growing up on the farm and life as twins are legendary and make family members laugh to this day.

Ronnie and Tommie eventually attended North Carolina State University as agriculture majors
(minoring in chemistry). It was there that they made the practice squad for the basketball team,
joined the FarmHouse Fraternity, and became lifelong Wolfpack fans. They graduated in 1959.

On August 26, 1960, Ronnie married his great love, Betsy Barden. They were each other’s
constant for almost 65 years, supporting each other in their endeavors and interests. After eight
years of marriage, they decided to extend their family, welcoming Owen and Mary Rand. Ronnie
never lost his “farm boy” roots, even as his career took him and his family to the heart of the
nation’s capital in 1979 to begin his tenure in federal service.

Ronnie had a successful career at USDA Farmers Home Administration (FmHA, later called
Rural Development/Rural Housing Service) that spanned over three decades. As a federal career
civil servant, he served and supported multiple presidential administrations going back to the
1960s. He was a member of the elite Federal Senior Executive Service (SES), a top-level
position designed to serve as a bridge between political appointees and the career civil service.
He served in multiple leadership positions throughout his career, retiring in the late 1990s as the
Deputy Administrator (and serving as Acting Administrator for a time) for Single Family
Housing, USDA/Rural Housing Service. In this capacity, he advised the most senior USDA
political leadership on rural housing policy, as considerations cycled through changing
administrations

He oversaw the single-family housing operations at the national level, including new loan
origination activities in state offices and hundreds of field offices across rural America staffed by
thousands of employees, as well as loan servicing for a portfolio of over 750,000 single-family
loans representing over $20 billion. His leadership always focused on the balance between
delivering Congressionally appropriated funding for single-family loans to low-income rural
families and being a good steward of taxpayer dollars by ensuring credit was extended to those
families most in need. He helped tens of thousands of low-income rural families obtain their first
homes and build equity for their families.

In the mid-1990s, Ronnie spearheaded the consolidation of loan servicing for single-family
housing from hundreds of field offices across the country to a central point in St. Louis, MO,
increasing efficiency, consistency, and saving significant taxpayer resources going forward. He
also oversaw the implementation of a new single-family housing program during the 1990s
called the Section 502 Guaranteed Loan Program, which has since grown to be Rural
Development’s largest single credit program and has national prominence. He was also a team
leader and member of the Civil Rights Action Team (CRAT) at USDA. In 1997 he was
recognized by the National Association of Home Builders with the L.D. Elwell Award for
outstanding professionalism. Ronnie was a housing policy expert and a trusted senior executive.
He was called upon for advice countless times. He advised members of Congress and their staff,
the Office of Management and Budget, and senior political officials like the USDA Secretary,
Rural Development Under Secretary and the Rural Housing Service Administrator regularly to
navigate important policy and legislative considerations that were at the intersection of approval for subsequent implementation by Ronnie and his team of career staff.

Ronnie was always positive, never spoke negatively, and treated everyone fairly. But he was
open and forthcoming about what he thought regarding any particular issue. His opinion had an
enormous sway on outcomes. Ronnie was revered by those who worked for him. As a mentor
and leader, he helped many people flourish in their careers at USDA. He led by example and was
always calm, level-headed, and prepared. He arrived at work early and would frequently walk
through the halls to stop in to see his team and encourage them and offer advice. He left a legacy at USDA that has continued to this day to be recognized. He had the utmost respect for the hardworking professionals who worked for him and with him.

Though he had an important job in DC, to his kids, he was Dad. Tough, but fair.
Supportive and kind. He coached his son Owen’s youth basketball team, and together they joined what is now known as the YMCA Adventure Guides. Over the years, father and son enjoyed talking about the news and local sports teams, especially the Commanders. He encouraged his daughter Mary Rand with her music and writing. Years before Mary Rand became a professional writer, he would print out her stories and bind them in a book for his mother to read. He may have even gotten a tear in his eye when Mary Rand played the piano at church. And he, too, loved music. He would sing country songs or hymns to his wife and kids on the way down to the farm, about every fifth weekend and on holidays. Owen and Mary Rand can still hear him singing “Lucille” or “What a Friend We Have in Jesus” on I-95.

He also loved his son-in-law, Garrett, and they became great friends. His grandsons brought him much joy and love; they sang with him and made him laugh up until his last days. As they were growing up, he enjoyed supporting them by attending as many of their sporting, school, and church events as possible and by having family dinners with them often. And every family dinner ended with Nana’s homemade dessert, something that was worth more than gold to Ronnie. He loved Christmastime with his family and the candlelight service at church. He liked his alone time too, and that time was spent in his yard daily. He had one of the most manicured lawns and one of the biggest magnolia trees in Northern Virginia. He cared for the earth like he cared for others.

As a longtime member of Vienna Baptist Church, he served his faith community with a servant’s heart. Whether acting as a deacon, a church greeter, or the dedicated “lawn guy”—no task was too big or too small. He devoted his life to the service of others—his country, community, and most especially, his family.

He was preceded in death by his beloved wife and noted artist, Betsy Barden Tharrington; his identical twin brother, Tommie Tharrington; his brother, DeWitt Tharrington; and his parents. He is survived by his children, Charles O. Tharrington and Mary Rand Hess (Garrett); his grandsons, Trenton Hess and Roman Hess; his brother, Michael Tharrington; and his sister, Priscilla Matthews; along with a large and loving extended family.

*A special thank you to his former USDA colleagues and his sister, Priscilla, who contributed to Ronnie’s obituary.

A memorial service celebrating Ronnie’s life will be held on February 28 at 11:00 AM at Vienna Baptist Church, located at 900 Maple Avenue East, Vienna, VA 22180. (Please note Vienna Baptist now shares its building with Emmaus United Church of Christ.)

“I have fought the good fight,

I have finished the race,

I have kept the faith.”

2 Timothy 4:7