Ralph Patrick Piemonte

Ralph Patrick Piemonte was born on December 20, 1954 to Ralph Rudolph Piemonte and Rose Marie Piemonte at Maimonides Hospital in Brooklyn, New York and was the oldest of five children. He attended Thomas Jefferson Elementary School in Yorktown Heights, NY. His years spent at John F. Kennedy High School in Somers, NY are immortalized by the wild stories Ralph would tell about his and (only slightly) younger brother Steve's crazy escapades. Ralph completed one year at King's College in Wilkes-Barre, PA before moving to Arizona where he graduated in 1976 with a degree in business from Arizona State University.

During college, Ralph—who was an amazing chef—was the Saucier at the Arizona Biitmore Resort in Phoenix. A few years after college, he met his first wife, Joy Marie Piemonte (née Van Liew), at St. Simon and Jude Church, the same church where they married in July of 1981. Ralph and Joy had two children, Chris, 35, and Nicole, 32 who both currently live in Arizona.

Ralph began his career in sales at a Continental Foods and also worked for Sysco Foods and Nasser Company before assuming his position as Account Executive at Elite & Associates. Midway through his sales career, Ralph decided to attend the police academy while keeping his full-time job. He served as a posse member and then a reserve deputy for the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office for 18 years and participated in enforcement details like child support warrant roundups, felony warrant details, and crime patrols. During his career, Ralph was recognized for his exceptional service by being named Reserve Deputy of the Year on two different occasions and received other commendations from his supervisors for his dedication and time spent serving the citizens of Maricopa County.

In addition to his father, Ralph was proceeded in death by his loving wife of 28 years, Joy, who died of ovarian cancer on August 12, 2009. After losing his wife, Ralph spent more time preparing for his retirement and working as a member of the security team at Calvary Community Church, where he later met Julie Anne Sauvageot, with whom he had an instant connection. As Julie recalls, she knew Ralph was someone she needed get to know after she "saw those big arms with all those tattoos." On December 28, 2014, he married Julie and soon after retired from a very successful career in the food industry. Ralph and Julie enjoyed the last several years of his life together while indulging in their favorite hobbies, which included driving, admiring, and even acquiring classic cars, buying and selling antiques, traveling to northern Arizona for quad rides, and cruising around in their Corvette. Having owned many classic cars throughout his life, Ralph had a bucket-list request to attend the Barrett-Jackson car auction, which he was able to do January 2018, along with his friends and his brother Steve. Ralph was also an active member in his church community, attending Copper Hills Church in Peoria regularly.

Ralph died peacefully, a year after a cancer diagnosis, on Sunday, May 20th, which was also Joy's birthday. Julie was by his side at the time of his death, along with her son, Paul Andre. Ralph's children Chris and Nicole were also present, as was Nicole's partner, Shawn Abreu; Ralph's best friend, Ron Krause; his pastor, Brad Klassen and Brad's wife Elfi; and, of course, his beloved cat Checkers.

Left to cherish his memory are his mother Rose Marie; his siblings Steve, Paul, Ron, and Marianne; some of his closest friends Ron Krause, Ray Jones, John Vassallo, Greg Heckle, Lou Gardella, Al Macklin, Rick Lopez, Joe Badillo, George Urmston, and many more; and his church community.

Ralph's celebration of life will be held at Copper Hills Church (27035 N. Black Rock Blvd. Peoria, AZ 85383) on Saturday, June 30th at 11:00am, officiated by Pastor Brad Klassen. In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to Arizona Camp Sunrise and Sidekicks, an organization for which Ralph volunteered, bringing joy to children with cancer and sharing his love of Corvettes with them. To donate in Ralph's memory, visit their website: <azcampsunrise.org>. Click the "donate" button and add a comment "In memory of Ralph Piemonte."

We know Ralph would love his friends and family to remember him for his vivacious spirit, his undeniable charisma, and his hilarious storytelling. As he would say, "That's how I roll, sonny."