Ralph C McElvain Jr

(Bob)

October 2, 1935 – November 10, 2014

Ralph Carswell McElvain, Jr., (Bob) 79, died in Salt Lake City, UT on November 10, 2014. He is survived by his wife Peggy and by his three children: Mary Ware (Michael), Chris, Sarah Lavoie (John) and his six grandchildren: Kathleen, John, Amy, Jenna, Darcy, and Davis. He is predeceased by his father Ralph Carswell McElvain, Sr. and his mother Edith McElvain.

Bob was born on October 2, 1935 in Morris, IL and attended Northwestern University graduating in 1958 with a degree in Mechanical Engineering. Bob was a member of Phi Delta Theta fraternity and during his freshman year, he met Peggy whom he married on June 15, 1957 in Shelbyville, KY.

Bob and Peggy worked and lived in Madisonville, KY, Champaign, IL and eventually Lake Forest, IL. There, Bob worked for American Hospital Supply and Abbott Laboratories designing several patented intravenous blood devices and earning his MBA from the Northwestern University Kellogg School of Management in 1973.

In 1981, Bob moved his family from Lake Forest, IL to Salt Lake City, UT where he was Director of Engineers for Abbott Labs. Bob and his family grew to love Utah and an active lifestyle. He enjoyed skiing, especially at Alta where he loved to ski the trees. He loved to mountain bike in Moab and fly fish with his family and buddies throughout Utah, British Columbia and Vermont. He often fished with hand tied flies and rods that he made himself.

When Abbott wanted to move him back to Illinois, he chose to stay in Salt Lake City and became an expert at setting up clean rooms for healthcare manufacturers including Jarvik Artificial Hearts and Merit Medical where he was one of the founding members.

When he retired, he was able to spend more time outdoors and travel with Peggy and friends. Bob was well known for his warm and engaging personality, his funny sense of humor and his quick wit. He is also known for his ability to wake a cabin of sleeping fisherman with his loud snoring and sleepwalking antics. His children and grandchildren will miss his ability to fix just about anything, diagnose their car problems over the phone, and his willingness to buy the next tank of gas.

Bob will be interred at Mount Olivet on Saturday, November 29th followed by a Celebration of Life at the Town Club, 1081 East South Temple, from 6:00 – 8:00 pm. It is requested that in lieu of flowers, contributions be made to the Natural History Museum of Utah, 301 Wakara Way, Salt Lake City, UT 84108, Attn: Jessie Strike