Ralph William Youngk

Youngk, Ralph William, 78, of Fort Lauderdale, peacefully entered eternal rest on Sunday, February 21, 2021 at 10:00 am, surrounded by his loved ones. He was preceded in death by his parents, Frank Stephen Youngk and Kathryn Bair Youngk; 2 brothers, Jack Wayne Burdick and Frank S. Youngk. He is survived by his niece Natalie (Youngk) Hanchett of Wilson, NC; nephew Richard Youngk of Pittsburgh, PA. He leaves behind his loving church family.

Ralph was born in Portsmouth, VA, and graduated from Wilkinsburg High School in 1960. Right out of high school, Ralph joined the U.S. Air Force in Loring Air Force Base, Limestone, Maine, as a flight line mechanic in the fire control system.

After the Air Force, Ralph worked as a service representative for Xerox for nine years, while attending Community College of Allegheny County at night. He earned an Associate of Arts, which led to attending Duquesne University (1974 -1977) as a music education major. He competed with The Penn-Men (Steve, Ralph, Jim, and Joe) as a quartet competed against other groups. The Penn-Men sang with the Society for the Preservation and Encouragement of BarberShop Quartet Singing in America, in Pittsburg, PA.

Ralph moved to Fort Lauderdale in the mid-'80s after Peter Rockwell, a long time friend, invited him to work on his fishing boat and begin a new life. He was then inspired to be a business entrepreneur and owned Functional Art, a furniture company. He designed unique, functional end tables, bookshelves, kitchen cabinets, and counters.

Ralph struggled with alcoholism for most of his life until he surrendered to the Lord Jesus Christ on September 22, 1992, and then began the A.A. 12-step program, and had lived a sober life until the end. Every year on his anniversary, he would bring a cake to church to celebrate one more year of sobriety with his friends.

Ralph joined Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church in the year 2001 and served as a deacon and an usher for six years. He began collecting Christian theology books and tapes and studied, absorbing every word and applying them to his life. One of his favorite authors was A. W. Tozer; his favorite books were "The Pursuit of God" and "The Divine Conquest."

Starting in 2006, he worked for the School Board of Broward County as a bus driver for fourteen years and retired on November 21, 2020. He loved all the children on his bus, and he was loved by all of his co-workers, always willing to lend a helping hand.

Ralph joined New Hope Community Church in September 2008, where he served as a deacon, was a member of the church choir and served in many other ways. The people at New Hope were privileged that he was part of their family until the day Jesus called him home. One of his favorite choruses that he led in singing after every prayer meeting was "I love You, Lord." He was very well-known for his famous pies, which were sold to help support New Hope's AtRisk children in Haiti. Ralph spent his time caring for the needs of others, always putting himself second.

Ralph had a love of cats, and he left behind the two cats that he lovingly referred to as the "Boys," named after Paul and George of the Beatles.

A Celebration of Life Service will be held at New Hope Community Church, 6400 NW 31 Ave, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33309. on March 6, 2021 at 2:00 p.m.

A Veterans Memorial Service will also be held at the National Cemetery of the Alleghenies. 1158 Morgan Rd., Bridgeville, PA. Date and time will be forthcoming. In lieu of flowers, donations maybe made to New Hope Community Church, 6400 NW 31 Ave, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33309, www.nhccftl.org.

It can be a great comfort to a grieving person or family to hear that others thought highly of their loved one, too. If you knew and admired Ralph, be sure to let the family know by writing a few words in the "Memory" section of his obituary on the Kraeer - Fairchild Funeral Home website. www.KraeerFairchild.com