Survived by his wife Linda of 50 years, children Pam, Debbie and Mark, daughter-in-law Katelyn as well as his beloved grandsons Lucas, Noah and Reiner.
Ralph was a great storyteller who loved to laugh and had a large repertoire of stories, jokes and lyrics he enjoyed sharing (on repeat). He loved fix-up projects and a good trip to the hardware store. Sharing his handyman knowledge with his kids and grandkids and supervising projects was also one of his favourite past times.
He had a passion for organization and record keeping, one he was never able to fully instill in his children (or his wife).
His family all learned to "enjoy" his love of country music that he played on our family road trips and kept stocked in his jukebox.
A true gentleman in spirit and actions. He was generous with his time, efforts and opinions, passionate about fairness, a straightforward no nonsense approach to handling difficult issues, and completely committed to "getting the job done"- all attributes that made him ideally suited to being a dedicated teacher, union leader and school board trustee.
Words cannot express how much he was loved and how much he will be missed. His stories and lessons will never be forgotten.
Cremation has taken place. A Celebration of Life will take place at a later date.
In lieu of flowers donations can be made in Ralph's name to the Canadian Cancer Society or Guelph General Hospital.
