Ralph Vernon Eggleston

Ralph Vernon Eggleston was born on October 18, 1965 in Lake Charles, LA. He passed away peacefully in his home in San Rafael, CA on August 29, 2022 after a lengthy battle with pancreatic cancer. Ralph was a 1983 graduate of Sam Houston High School, where he excelled in art, even acquiring a scholarship to attend California Institute of the Arts.

Ralph’s dream of working in film animation started with watching Bugs Bunny as a young child. Many remember him drawing cartoons in the corners of any book he could get his hands on, even the church hymnals. People would be thrilled to flip the corners of the pages of those books and watch the characters come to life. At fourteen, he created his first stop frame animation film. Ralph’s talents launched him into a career that far exceeded his expectations. He served in many roles in the animation industry, not only as an animator but also as art director, storyboard artist, writer, and film director. He is best remembered as the production designer on Pixar films like Toy Story, Finding Nemo, The Incredibles, WALL-E, Up, Inside Out, along with many others. But Ralph is credited with other animated features including Ferngully: the Last Rainforest and Family Dog, some of his earlier work that really drew attention to his passion for animation. For his extraordinary efforts, Ralph received many awards and accolades. Two notably special to him were the Winsor McKay Award (Annie Award) that represented a lifetime achievement for his career contributions to animation and an Oscar for his short film, For the Birds. One person said it best when he tweeted, “It’s safe to assume almost no children will have any idea who Ralph Eggleston is, but even safer to assume that nearly all of them will have seen and been delighted by his work.”

Ralph is survived by his two sisters, Phyllis Feaster (Gary) of Benton, LA and Carol Cahill (Bruce) of Midwest City, OK; his brother Vaughn Eggleston (Shanna) of Moss Bluff, LA; and many nieces and nephews. He is preceded in death by his parents Edward and Libby Eggleston; his sister Janet Foshee; and niece Stephanie Carol Foshee.

Ralph’s family would like to thank Dr. Tyler Johnson, Dr. Barbara Galligan, and Dr. Linda Trozzolino as well as Bill and Sue Kroyer, Gary and Manussanum (Nok) Diamond, Brad and Liz Bird, and Doug and Leslie Frankel for being such amazing friends to him. A special thanks also goes out to Sutter House Hospice, Kathy King, and Heather Selick for providing such excellent care and attention to the details of Ralph’s care during his battle with this terrible illness.

Although Ralph may be gone from this earth, we take comfort in knowing that he is no longer suffering and is resting in the arms of Jesus. His legacy will continue to delight animated movie watchers for years to come. Look for traces of Ralph in Finding Nemo with the picture of the Oscar winner in the dentist’s office or on a boat in the harbor named “For the Birds.” There is also a moving company in Toy Story 1 named “Eggman Moving Company.” Yes, he may be gone, but he will never be forgotten.

A memorial service will be held at Crossroads Church in Moss Bluff, LA on Saturday, October 1, 2022 at 2:00 PM. Close friends and family are invited to attend. Those wishing to donate to a charity in Ralph’s name may contribute to the American Cancer Society.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.hixsonmossbluff.com for the Eggleston family.