Ralph is fondly remembered for his calm manner, devotion to family, service and faith. He was our good neighbor and trusted friend.

Joe & Kathy DiGregorio

Enjoy your memories of Ralph.  They will comfort you many times.  Love, Katherine Simpson Andrews  CU Friend.

I think I was 6 years old when my Uncle Ralph visited us in our new house in Concord, California. My brother, Brian, and I loved playing Army in our backyard. When Uncle Ralph showed up at our house, he was in uniform, an Army uniform. My hero, my Uncle Ralph. He taught me how to stand at attention and how to salute. I wanted to spend every minute with him. One day while visiting us, Uncle Ralph was going to meet up with friends in San Francisco 30 miles away. He was going to borrow my mother’s 1958 Ford Country Squire station wagon. I desperately wanted to go with him. My mother repeatedly said no. I kept pleading and pleading but she wouldn’t change her mind. I came up with a plan. I snuck out of the house with a blanket and hid in the back of the station wagon. A little while later, Uncle Ralph jumped into the car and headed to San Francisco. I was quiet as a mouse. About an hour later the car came to a halt somewhere in San Francisco. I popped out from under the blanket and surprised my Uncle Ralph and he was indeed surprised and horrified. He found a phone booth and called my mom with the news. She had reported me missing and the police along with neighbors were all searching for me, assuming the worst. I ruined my Uncle Ralph’s plans that day as he had to return me home. My mom was so relieved that I was alive, she couldn’t be mad and, my hero, Uncle Ralph, wasn’t mad at me either.

Fast forward a few years. It was the summer after I turned 13 years old and was about to start high school. My parents rewarded me with a trip from California to Seattle to see my Uncle Ralph. It was a trip of many firsts. It was my first flight on an airplane. I got to hang out at my Uncle Ralph’s bachelor pad one day while he was at work and make my own lunch. Uncle Ralph took me to a golf course and showed me how to play my first round of golf. Uncle Ralph took me to my first minor league baseball game. We picked up his girlfriend and future wife/soulmate, Sue, and the three of us went to see the Tacoma Rainers play. This was long before the Seattle Mariners came to town. Then Uncle Ralph took me camping on Mt. Rainer; my first camping trip. I remember the bears rustling through the garbage cans at night. The next morning, we hiked up to the ice caves on Mt. Rainer. I will never forget how stunning the caves were. Thank you, Uncle Ralph, for those amazing times. You taught me to love the outdoors and I still do. You reinforced my love for attending sporting events and I have lots of memorabilia to prove it. You tried to get me to love golf but that one did not work out. Two out of three is a great batting average. Thanks, Uncle Ralph, for all the memories. I will miss you and never forget you.

Jeff Glaze, Ralph's Nephew