SOUTH HILL—Ronald Wilmot, who served as the advertising manager and general manager for The Tidewater News from 1980 until 2006, passed away Tuesday at a hospital in South Hill.

Wilmot, 63, was a native of Berea, Ky. After leaving The Tidewater News, Wilmot served as the Group Publisher for Womack Publishing Company in South Hill. He was a past president of the Franklin Kiwanis Club and the Franklin-Southampton County Chamber of Commerce.

A celebration of Wilmot’s life will be held at 6 p.m. Saturday at Fred’s Restaurant on South Main Street in Franklin.