Ralph Delbert Lee

Ralph Delbert Lee died Sunday, November 1, 2026, four days before his 90th birthday. He was born in Colorado Springs, Colorado, on November 5, 1936, to Martha Ella Yarnell Lee and Delbert Elmer Lee, the middle child, between his sisters, Joanne and Charlene.

Ralph grew up in Pueblo, Colorado, with limited means. In high school, he started a house-sitting and dog-walking business to earn money to buy hot lunches and Cokes at school. He attended community college in Pueblo for two years, earning an associate’s degree. He joined the Air Force and completed correspondence courses in engineering at the University of Maryland. During his service in the Air Force, 1960-1964, Ralph trained in Denver, and this is where he met Ginny Inman. They married in 1961 and moved to California, where Ralph worked at Hamilton Air Force Base on F-101 fire-control systems and then briefly for Hughes Aircraft. They later returned to Boulder, where he ran the Radio Astronomy Lab at night and attended the University of Colorado to learn about electronics. Subsequently, Ralph took a position as a computer programmer with IBM.

Their sons, David and Steven, were born in Boulder, and Kristen, their daughter, was born in Rochester, Minnesota. After a brief stay in Endicott, New York, the family returned to Rochester until making their home in Austin. Austin is where their children grew up and where Ralph worked on the IBM PC project. He worked for IBM for 26 years and was proud to have purchased the 79th personal computer ever made by IBM. Ralph was an avid reader, enjoyed playing chess, and was a master bridge player.

Ralph married Mary Pinkney Bradford in 1994. They enjoyed going dancing, watching University of Texas football games, spending time with family, and taking summer road trips to Colorado and other places. Ralph organized and played in two bridge clubs. Mary and Ralph were members of University Presbyterian Church and lived in Austin until moving to Georgetown in 2024. At his independent senior living home, Ralph delighted in leading a bridge club and teaching other residents how to play.

Ralph is survived by his wife, Mary; his children, David, Steven, and Kristen; his stepchildren, Katie, Peter, and John, and their spouses; 11 grandchildren; and by his brother-in-law and best friend, Gary Henderson.

Services will be held at Weed-Corley-Fish Funeral Home, 5416 Parkcrest Drive in Austin, on Friday, November 20, with visitation at 11:00 AM, followed by a Celebration of Life at 12:00 noon. A private burial service will follow at Austin Memorial Park Cemetery.