Read Ralph P. Use''s Obituary & Leave Condolences

In memory of

Ralph P. Use'

Houma, Louisiana, USA

1945 - March 4, 2021

1945 - Mar 4, 2021

In lieu of flowers

Please consider a donation to Ralph Use' Memorial Fund.

Learn more & give
Help keep everyone in the know by sharing this memorial website.

Share

Photo

Ralph P. Use’ grew up in a large family of 5 brothers and 2 sisters. He loved to have fun. Ralph would talk about his Daddy and how he was such a great practical joker. He would say how much laughter there was in his house growing up: “We didn’t have much, but we passed a good time.” As a child, Ralph was an altar boy. He would often box as a hobby and to make extra money. Eventually, he went on to work at Caigle’s Gas Station, then Lane’s Drug Store. Shortly thereafter, he began working offshore, starting at the bottom, learning as much as he could. Ralph’s resourcefulness helped him work his way up quickly. Then about 25 years later, his experience led him to a job working for LaRussa Law Firm. Later in his life, because he loved fishing, he became a charter fisherman and became well known in the area as the man who knew where all the best fishing spots were!
For most of his life, Ralph was big into Mardi Gras. He started out riding in the Krewe of Hercules and later, he joined the Krewe of Terreanians. Even after he stopped riding in parades, he always liked to “pass a good time” at the parades and made Mardi Gras special for the countless family and friends that showed up each season.

Ralph lived by three words: Family, Fishing, and Faith.
Ralph was blessed to have a very large blended family; his heart was certainly big enough. His 3 children, Tammy, Rat, and Todd were blended with an additional 3 girls Heather, Aimee, and dede as part of the prize of winning the love of his life, Shirley. This blended family worked because Ralph made sure it worked. Without fail, Sunday roast and gravy was ready at his table all day for anyone that wanted to stop by. Every holiday was alive with laughter and joy because Ralph always wanted to gather his family together.
Ralph loved to fish. Ralph was good at fishing. Ralph was great at fishing. He was always better than anyone with him in his boat while fishing so it is safe to say Ralph wasn’t fishing… Ralph was catching. You could drop a line, in the same spot, with the same bait, at the same depth, and peek out of the corner of your eye trying to work the rod just like Ralph. Ralph, however, would pull in the Redfish and you would be rebaiting your hook with a shrimp from Todd. And Todd was always there; to tie the boat up, drop an anchor, pass you a hand full of shrimp, hand you a different line for speckle trout if the seagulls were hitting the top of the water, and of course tease you a bit when you think you caught a bull red when you only caught a crab, and as always take his spot to the left of Ralph in the boat for so many years. That was Todd’s seat. Ralph made sure you caught fish. The trip was never about him; it was about everyone else in the boat. He got the most pleasure from first-timers and fishing veterans that have never fished South East Louisiana before. He could hook a fish, hand you the rod and then he would experience the same thrill of fighting that fish while letting you do it firsthand.
Ralph was a man of faith. Ralph and Shirley read the Bible without fail every day and completed it many times. Ralph had faith in God and he had faith in the world around him. He believed that the world was good and that everything was going to be ok. Ralph had faith in people. People would come to him, to talk about a difficult decision or a hardship and he would ease their mind with a bit of common-sense wisdom. He would not speak ill of anyone or anything and would always point out the positive side to everything.
Ralph was also deeply faithful in all of us. He believed in all of us. He saw the good in us, he saw our potential, forgave us for our missteps, talked us through forgiving others, and he challenged us to be the better part of ourselves. As Ralph now kneels at the feet of our father in eternal peace, he can do so knowing his lifelong commitment to his expansive family (and friends) is complete and that we will live on as better people because Ralph has been a part of our lives. That his years of fishing have landed memories, stories, friendships and full ice boxes that will feed our hearts for the remainder of OUR lives.

Order a beautiful PDF you can print and save or share.

Get the PDF

Get notified when new photos, stories and other important updates are shared.

Please consider a donation to Ralph Use' Memorial Fund.

$4,650.00

of $7,000 goal

66 %

Learn more & give