Ralph Benjamin Choppy

Ralph B. Choppy (Grapevine, Texas) passed away peacefully on December 31, 2024. He was born in Troy, New York on October 26, 1946 to Augustus and Rebecca (Lomaestro) Choppy. He primarily grew up in Green Island, New York and had very fond memories of his childhood. He loved to tell stories about the people in his neighborhood, including his large extended family that lived nearby. His family moved to Latham, New York when he was a teenager and graduated from Shaker High School in 1964. Ralph attended Husson University (Bangor, Maine), earning his degree in Finance in 1968 while playing baseball all four years.

In 1977, he married Luanne Gillotti, the love of his life and wife of nearly 50 years. Together they raised three children, Kim (Cumming, Georgia), RJ (Roanoke, Texas) and Laura (Colleyville, Texas).

In both childhood and as a retiree (and times in between), Ralph loved all things related to baseball. From a young age, he excelled on the baseball diamond, which led to him attending college in Maine to continue his baseball career. Following college, he found great joy in coaching his son’s teams from t-ball through elite travel teams in New Jersey. He was a great coach who focused on fundamentals. In addition to coaching, Ralph volunteered his time in serving as the recreational baseball commissioner in Montgomery Township (New Jersey) in the 1990s. In retirement, he played several seasons in men’s softball leagues in the Dallas/Fort Worth (Texas) area. As an avid New York Yankee fan, he loved watching Yankee games and instilled a love of baseball in each of his children.

Ralph also gravitated toward music. He started drumming on pots and pans in his mother’s kitchen as a small boy, and he progressed to a full set of drums later on. He played in polka bands, jazz bands, and cover bands in his youth. One of his most prized possessions was his drum kit and he continued to respond to music until his last days battling Alzheimer’s.

Ralph was known as an extremely hard worker and found great success in his career. Following college, he started working in finance for Atlantic Cement near Albany, New York and then turned to General Electric, where he worked as a business consultant for more than 20 years. In working for GE and, later, the Sabre Group and Software AG, he was able to travel the world, visiting new places throughout Europe and South America. He loved to travel and enjoyed that his job enabled him to do so.

With all of Ralph’s accomplishments, being a husband, father, and grandfather were the roles in which he was most proud. His presence is sorely missed by his family.

Ralph is preceded in death by his parents, Augustus and Rebecca Choppy, and his sister Elizabeth Blake.

He is survived by his wife, Luanne; his children: Kim Reinhardt, RJ Choppy (and his fiancée, Sarah), and Laura Wilson (and her husband, Corey); his grandchildren Kristina Baker (and her husband, Dane), Nicholas Reinhardt, Luca Choppy, Julian Choppy, Gabrielle Wilson, and Charlotte Wilson; his brother-in-law Edward Blake, and sister-in-law Linda Bruner.

A memorial service will be held in Grace Chapel on February 13, 2025 at 1 P.M. at White’s Chapel Methodist Church, Southlake, Texas.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the Alzheimer’s Association.