Ethel Mae Wingo

Ethel Mae Wingo entered eternal peace on Tuesday, December 16, 2025. She was born on July 7, 1935, in Riverside, California, to Benjamin Roberts and Bertie Atkins, and was lovingly raised by the late Florida and Dr. William Thomas.

Ethel attended Riverside Poly High School and continued her education at Riverside Community College, where she earned an associate degree in nursing. She became a Licensed Vocational Nurse and began her career as an emergency room nurse at Riverside Community Hospital. In her later years, she served as a home health nurse and worked in the cafeteria at John W. North High School.

Ethel accepted Christ at a young age and was a faithful member of Second Baptist Church of Riverside for many years. She participated actively in the youth choir, senior choir, and Sunday School, and as a young adult served as a camp counselor at Camp Thousand Pines through the Western Baptist State Convention. She was deeply devoted to her community and faithfully served in the children’s ministry at Second Baptist Church. She loved gardening and interacting with the day care children from the Jan Peterson Child Development Center.

While raising her children alongside her husband, Ethel instilled strong Christian values in her family and consistently lifted them up in prayer. Family was always her highest priority.

In 1963, Ethel married William Terrance Eugene Wingo Jr. Their 52-year union was blessed with two children, Tracie Yvonne and Terence Eugene Wingo. Her loving husband William Wingo and son Terence Wingo preceded her in death. She is survived by her daughter, Tracie Randolph (Tony); her beloved grandchildren, Olivia Lewis (Xavier), Chelsia Janise, and Langston Janise; her brother Dell Roberts, her brothers-in-law, Richard Wingo (California) and Leroy Wingo of North Carolina. Sister-in-law Dolly Mae Malone (Nevada), great niece’s Alison Robinson, Bettina Butts-Boler, Anita Butts-Bolden and great nephew’s Carl Butts, Johnny Butts, Craig Johnson and a host of nieces, nephews, extended family, and dear friends. Special thanks to her dear friend Jill Battle.

The family extends special thanks to the nurses of Elite Hospice and the dedicated staff at Integrated Care Communities in Moreno Valley for their compassionate care.

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