On Monday, May 11, 2020, Rufus Idell Winstead, Jr. loving husband and father, passed away.
Rufus was born on Feb. 15, 1949, in Pinetops, N.C. to Annie Taylor and Rufus Winstead Sr. He was a 1967 graduate of Frederick Douglas High School. Rufus is a veteran of the Vietnam and Gulf wars. He served honorably for 24 years achieving the rank of Master Sergeant and retired from duty in 1992. Rufus took part in the 1st flight of an all-African American crew to fly a C-5A Galaxy, one of the largest airplanes in the world, from Dover Air Force Base to the Middle East and back in 1986. On July 1, 1972, he married Mary Ann Green (the love of his life). They raised three dynamic daughters: Cherese, Theresa, and April.
After he retired from military service, Rufus founded a vocational school, Corporate Resolutions. Rufus had a passion for fixing things, planes (C-5A), trains (Maryland Transportation Authority- MTA), and automobiles (his wife’s and daughters’ cars). He was a man with an untiring spirit and spent his time, effort, and money helping others. He loved to travel and making lasting memories with friends and family. He was known for his quick wit, his infectious smile and laugh, and his kind and compassionate nature.
Rufus was preceded in death by his father, Rufus Idell Winstead, Sr.; and his mother, Annie Taylor; sister, Beatrice Artis; brothers, Larry and William Winstead.
He is survived by his loving wife, Mary; his three daddy’s girls, Cherese Winstead Casson (Michael), Theresa Fulton (David), and April Winstead (Paul); six strong brothers, Lonnie (Angela), Michael (Melissa) both of Richmond, Va., David (Kathryn) of Ayden, N.C., Stephen (Sherri) of Raleigh, N.C., Jerome of Wilson, N.C., and Jonathan (Cher) of Wilson, N.C.; three fun-loving sisters, Linda Durham (James), Phyllis Jones, and Cheryl Edwards (Desmond), all of Richmond, Va.; four beautiful sister-in-laws, Nancy (Elvis), Cora Green and Deloris Latham (Connie) of Rocky Mt, N.C., Barbara Artis (Ray) of Mobile, Ala.; three upstanding brother-in-laws, Lucion Green (Joyce) Clayton, N.C., Larry Hunter (Patricia) Rocky Mount, N.C., David (Josie), Nashville, N.C.; five grandchildren, Nia, Curtis, Mykel, Kennedy and Caroline; several cousins, nieces, nephews, and many other relatives and friends.
A private funeral service and burial for the immediate family was held at the Delaware Veterans Memorial Chapel and Cemetery on Friday, May 15, 2020, in Bear, Del.
In lieu of flowers, the Winstead family has asked that any gifts of condolences be donated to the Rufus Winstead, Jr. Scholarship Fund, 6401 Rock Forest Dr., #407, Bethesda, MD 20817.
In his words, “In the military, they have what is called a watch, just to let you know something about a watch, it’s the time when all the troops rest except one, and that person is responsible for everyone’s life while they rest. So, everyone takes their watch extremely seriously. If you have visited the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, located in the Arlington National Cemetery, you will see a soldier in action on his watch. When we have a fallen comrade, we always say that he has come to the end of his watch and now he can rest, for another comrade will take up the watch.”
Rufus Winstead, well done good and faithful servant. Rest, for another comrade, has taken up the watch in your place.
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