A daughter’s childhood wish becomes a lasting tribute to family, imagination, and faith.
Words by Marla Price | Images by Al Blanton
The little girl had seen rockets on television and in books, so when she saw a feed silo turned on its side in her small hometown of Arley, she knew what it must be:
“That’s the top of a rocket,” she told her dad.
“Yes, baby, it sure is,” he responded.
They continued their travels, but not before he told her that he would like to get one, paint it, and turn it into a playhouse.
Twenty years later, Mike Ragsdale is making that dream a reality.
The idea that began with his daughter, Brook Ergle, has deep roots in the imagination of Mike, as well as his brother, Mark, who passed away at the age of 53 from lung cancer.
“Mark and I used to look out our bedroom window at night, and Dad would tell us about the Big Dipper and how to find the North Star. We dreamed of rocket ships . . . we also imagined, with all the nighttime noises of insects and animals, that it sounded like a jungle,” Mike said. “Then, during the daytime, we played football, Alabama versus Auburn. We would have home run derbies and basketball games.”
Sports were an outlet for the brothers, both at home and during their time at Meek High School, where their mother worked in the cafeteria and was later the cafeteria manager. Mike graduated in 1988, and Mark, who was the valedictorian of his senior class, followed in 1989. They were both four-sport standouts, receiving numerous accolades and awards in football, basketball, baseball, and track.
“Sports are a huge part of life. You know, that’s the way to escape. When you’re shooting a basketball or playing baseball, you can’t worry about anything else going on,” Mike said.
Their yard was a gathering place for the neighbors, several of whom were around the same age as the brothers. Mike remembers the times he, his brother, and their friends spent playing baseball, a designated road at the edge of the property serving as an important boundary.
“If you could hit it over that road, it was a homerun.”
Mike and Mark took separate career paths: Mike established his own construction company while Mark earned a degree in social science and became a teacher. Both men remained involved in sports through coaching youth leagues and high school teams.
They coached against one another several times due to area matchups in softball. Mark was at Brilliant High School, while Mike was at Meek.
Mike recounts, “I remember I was going to go easy on him one game, but they ended up beating us 7 or 8 to 1. Guess I learned my lesson.”
The Rocket Takes Flight
Both as a surprise as well as for the enjoyment of his six grandsons and one granddaughter, Mike decided in the fall of 2024 that the time was right to embark upon his daughter’s vision from when she was a little girl. He found a large feed silo—donated by a local couple who were fascinated with his idea—and the grassy field where the brothers’ imaginations took flight would become the place to construct the rocket. A gentleman who installs poultry equipment helped him move the silo, and he had two helpers meet him after work.
“We’d work until dark—sanding, priming, and painting,” Mike said.
Mark was involved with the refinishing process, using his tractor to position the bin for easier access. He helped with removing and replacing the legs of the bin—anticipating its new life as a rocket.
Around the same time, Mark started having health issues. He was diagnosed with a rare form of lung cancer in January, although he had never smoked and had none of the usual risk factors. Despite his declining health, he continued to help his brother with the project whenever he could.
As the rocket took shape, people took notice. “GPS sends everyone down this road . . . we’ve had people from Washington State, New York, Maine, and California. People would stop and say, ‘Hey, we like your rocket. We think your rocket’s cool,’” Mike adds.
His grandchildren have another idea now. They say if he can build a rocket, he can build a race car, too.
“I want kids to enjoy it, and what I’ve realized lately is that kids are of all ages,” Mike said.
The encouragement he’s received from community members, visitors to Arley, and his family all give him reason to continue to add to the project, which is coming together in phases. The final touch was some detailing: the rocket got a door, painted by Autumn King, a 2025 Meek High School graduate. Mike added the “NASA” logo, and later, he hopes to install a floor in the interior and make it a playhouse for his grandkids.
Leaving a Legacy
Mike says that even in their fifties, the two brothers saw one another every day. According to Mike, Mark was book smart, a walking encyclopedia. “We were one year apart, like twins, and we shared everything,” Mike said. “We didn’t have a whole lot, so what was mine was his and what was his was mine. We were that way all the way to the end.”
When working on the rocket, Mark and Mike would joke around about what to name it, but nothing ever really stuck. Mark continued to help his brother with the rocket project until he grew too sick to continue. Mark called Mike in late February with bad news.
“When he got the word that he was terminal, I had the idea to name it after him,” Mike said.
Today, the “Mark 1” rocket stands as a testament to the love shared by two brothers, their childhood dreams, and the desire to keep imagination alive.
Mark lost his battle with cancer on April 26, 2025, but his story continues. Mike’s oldest daughter, Hayley McCain, wants everyone to remember her uncle as a “preacher, a coach, a teacher, and a wonderful father and son and brother and husband gone too soon.”
Mark had periodically served as a preacher during his adult life, having accepted the call into the ministry as a young man. However, he never had the opportunity to serve as a pastor of a church—that is, until Bethel Baptist Church named him as their pastor in November 2024.
Mark’s wife, Jenny, expressed how much the new pastorate meant to her husband. “Mark loved God, family, and friends. If someone had a need and he was able, he was there to help. He was a wonderful husband, father, teacher, and pastor. He has left a legacy of love and leadership. He is missed and has left a hole that can never be filled,” Jenny said.
Jenny served alongside her husband as music director, and the church continues to honor the memory of their pastor through the support of the Mark Ragsdale Bible Fund. Mark’s desire for the spread of the gospel message will continue, as the Bibles are purchased for those in need, graduates, newborn babies, and other mission projects.
In July, Mark was posthumously inducted into the Winston County Sports Hall of Fame, with Mike accepting the award on his brother’s behalf. In addition to Mark’s high school honors, he had coached virtually all sports during his 28 years of teaching and coaching experience, in Alabama, Mississippi, and Georgia. He also served as a bus driver and spent countless hours on field maintenance and game preparation.
Most importantly, he encouraged students with his selfless example, serving as a mentor to thousands of young people. Students remember Coach Ragsdale as a kind and patient teacher and coach, who never raised his voice and never uttered a bad word about anyone.
Young people still enjoy sports on the hillside at the Ragsdale brothers’ old homeplace. When Mike’s grandchildren aren’t playing pickup games of their own or pretending to be astronauts, members of the Meek High School golf team utilize the property as a driving range.
Mike said, “I’ve got markers set at a distance, so we can practice driving and chipping.”
When asked where they tee off, his answer is simple:
“Oh, that’s at the rocket. That’s where we blast off.” 67
Donations can be made to the Mark Ragsdale Bible Fund at Bethel Baptist Church.
The family’s sports legacy continues. Dustin Ragsdale, Mike’s son, is an NCAA baseball umpire and supervises officials in semi-pro summer league baseball. Mike continues to coach youth leagues and high school baseball and softball.
