Ran across this today and had to share -1988 in Los Angeles

Ralph and I became buddies during his battle with cancer as I was one of his speech therapists. We took to texting after he lost his voice, and we loved to talk about food. He always made me laugh, and his loss has been quite impactful for me as we fought hard together. I am relieved he is no longer suffering and will miss him. I envision him laughing and enjoying lobster and stone crab on a beach during sunset. I’m grateful to have known him. My deepest condolences. 

Karen Brady MS CCC-SLP
Boulder Community Health 

Joyce and I visited Ralph in 1986 in Switzerland where he worked.  We had a great time hiking in the area with him.  

Ralph, Du bist nicht mehr da wo du warst, aber du bist überall, wo wir sind. Du bist in unserem Herzen 
Onkel Don und Tante Monika 

Ralph, Thank you for taking me under your wing and saving my position at Seagate when you did! I will be forever grateful that you saw my potential and gave me the opportunity! I remembered that we had to go through the formality of an interview and you were honest and told me that I totally bombed it...in the most gentle and funny way :)  You were a generous and kind soul and I will miss your annual check-ins. I really wish we had gotten 'the gang' together one last time before your passing. I hope you are resting in peace <3 Michelle


Was waren wir cool damals! Ich bin traurig, dass du so früh schon gehen musstest, aber froh, dich als Cousin gehabt zu haben!
Deine Cousine Susanne

Germany memories and friend Melanie Ruzicka 

A few of many pictures of Ralph.  Great times.

Dear Ralph, We will really miss you. We’ll miss that warm and charming, boisterous entrance and that big bear hug, that broad shining white smile and that ornery glint in your eye.  We’ll miss the grand theatre of the stories you told, you always had us on the edge of our seat.  We’ll miss watching the gamut of your facial expressions when one of us told an incredible story, and that resounding laugh that filled our hearts. We’ll miss the way your presence filled a room with joy, comfort and community, and you were always so exciting and entertaining.  We’ll miss the times around the pit recounting new adventures, making silly jokes, or waxing nostalgic.  We’ll miss the delight you found in a high spirited debate.  We’ll miss your affectionate, punctual holiday phone calls.  We’ll miss the way you made everyone laugh, no matter what age they were.  We’ll miss the grand events and we’ll also miss the low key times we’d just hang out and catch up, or grab a taco, or game night or gather round Ona’s potato kugelis for the newest version of the treasured recipe.  You’ve left a great void here, Ralph, and we will miss you every day, but we know your heart is soaring and filled with the Greatest Joy.
All our love,
Gwen and Karl Siegfried Keishold

Ralph and I got to know each other when we were both pretty young at church, in Sunday School and then Youth Group. My best and funniest memories are from on the bus during church play tours, like the time when he and I found some stupid pacifier squirt gun things and named ourselves “The Pacifier Patrol” (definitely his idea, but I gotta admit, acting like idiots and squirting people was pretty fun - for us anyway).  Ralph was larger than life in many ways. I’ll remember him fondly for his big heart and laugh. 
My heart goes out to all of the Picker family. I pray God’s blessing and peace for you, knowing that this is just goodbye for the time being.
Sincerely,
Scott 

Meine frühen Erinnerungen an Ralph

Im Juli 1969 – vor 53 Jahren – habe ich meine große Reise nach Boulder angetreten, um meine Schwester Heide und ihre Familie zu besuchen. Es war meine erste Begegnung mit Ralph. Er war 3 ¾ Jahre alt. 

Ralph hatte so viel Power, war überall vorne dran, hat nichts stehen und liegen lassen, hat alles ausprobiert, hat alles untersucht und schon damals repariert. Er hat seine Mutter auf Trapp gehalten.

Um mich zu erschrecken hat er mit dem Gartenschlauch in mein Zimmer gespritzt. Er hat sich köstlich amüsiert, wenn es ihm gelang aus dem Hinterhalt mich pudelnass zu machen. Ralph war eine Frohnatur. 

Eine heikle Erinnerung bleibt Grand Canyon. Ralph rannte wie besessen los; (niemand konnte ihn einholen), stoppte wenige Millimeter vor dem Abgrund, blickte zurück und grinste verschmitzt seine Mutter an.

Ich habe Ralph und seine guten Charaktereigenschaften wie Ehrlichkeit und Hilfsbereitschaft geschätzt. Er war humorvoll , tolerant und hatte ein großes Herz. Es sind rundum gute Gedanken, die ich auch weiterhin in Erinnerung behalten werde. 

Ich bin sehr traurig.

Tante Renate


I remember all of the great times we had at the Picker house with our friends. We would hang out in the hot tub or in the back yard and just enjoy each other. There was always plenty of food and drink offered. The love that was in that house was wonderful. Even though Ralph was a few years younger than we were, he always fit in and joined us. Those were some of the best times of my youth! I can't thank the Picker family enough for helping me grow up and become the man I am today. I will miss you Raph but I know you are with Jesus now and I bet he is enjoying your fabulous cooking and great conversations! Love Ya!

Ralph, thank you for being my dear friend for almost my whole life.  Your big laugh and big love will be truly missed by all.  I will carry our memories together forever - I love you and will miss you dearly.

Cheers Ralph! You'll me missed but never forgotten. Love ya!🥰

I have never got the chance to meet Ralph, wenn i came in Boulder in 1993 he was abroad doing his carrier in a restaurant. I'm so sorry for your loss and i want to express my deep condolences to all the Picker family.
Alexis fuchs from Elsass, France 

We are very sad with you about Ralph's death which came much too early. We liked Ralph very much. He was such a dear person with a very big heart and a lot of feeling. He loved people, he was full of joie de vivre and humor, always ready for fun and he liked helping others.

We had so much fun when he visited us in Germany. My parents took Ralph, Christian and me on a big holiday with the VW bus and tent to Italy, explored the cities, the landscape and the Roman antiquities, swam in the sea and grilled fish. I also remember a nice holiday with Ralph in Austria at Lake Neusiedl where we sailed, and how he gave us a lot of joy when he visited us in Schwetzingen and Ketsch and was simply with us. Ralph really enjoyed the freedom and the loving good mood and created it around him. 
When I visited Pickers with my children Philipp and Peter in 2012 and took a tour of the USA, we met Ralph, and he was, as always, fun for everyone.
In recent years, we have often talked on the phone about the political situation in the USA, in Europe and in the world. Ralph had a very clear common sense, he was affectionate towards people. In this world where egocentricity, short-sightedness, and violence too often prevail, Ralph saw with his good heart and thus had a better political sense than many others. 

We prayed very much for your recovery, dear Ralph. You have suffered a lot of pain. We were so happy with you that you had won the battle against cancer and we hoped and believed in your further recovery. On the photo of Christmas you looked so good. We didn't know that the situation was still so critical for you. I'm sorry I didn't talk to you on the phone more often, when you were still able to talk.

Dear Ralph, you remain very present to us. Your voice, your laughter, your humor and your love still resonate in us. Dear Ralph, we miss you. We keep you lovingly in our hearts.

We mourn with you and we pray for Ralph and for you. 


Jens, Edith and Dieter




Wir sind alle sehr, sehr  traurig, dass Ralph so früh sterben musste. Sein letzter Besuch in Deutschland war im März 2017 als Ralph kam, um sich von seiner Oma zu verabschieden, die 97 Jahre alt war. Sie sprachen über Gott und die Welt und sie schätzten einander sehr.

Jedes Mal wenn wir Ralph trafen, waren wir von seiner Freundlichkeit, seiner Empathie und seinem Humor angetan. Wir trafen ihn in Florida, in Paris und natürlich auf seinen Reisen nach Deutschland.

Ich denke jetzt besonders an eine Reise im Jahr 1978 nach Apulien, an die Südspitze Italiens, mit VW Bus, Zelt und Segelboot. Ralph genoss mit seinen Cousins die Zeit am Meer. Des öfteren musste ich Ralph suchen: aber er hatte nur geholfen, andere Autofahrer aus dem Sand zu ziehen! 

Sein Interesse an den antiken Stätten war groß. Auf unserem Programm der Besichtigungen stand natürlich auch das „Castel del Monte“. Das war dann allerdings wegen Renovierung geschlossen. Aber Ralph schaffte es, dass wir Zutritt bekamen. Er vermittelte dem Museumswächter, dass er extra aus USA gekommen war, um das Castel del Monte zu besichtigen. So kamen wir in den Genuss einer Sonderführung.

Pompeji kannte er schon aus Büchern von  zuhause. Und so war es für ihn ein besonderes Erlebnis, die ganzen Ausgrabungen in Natura zu sehen, und so fragte er den Museumswächter Löcher in den Bauch. Wir genossen diese Zeit mit ihm, seine Unbefangenheit, seine Wissbegier, seine Hilfsbereitschaft und seine Freundlichkeit. 

Schon seit langem hatten wir Ralph zu einer 2. Apulienreise eingeladen. Wir planten sie für diesen Herbst, wenn Ralph seine Operation überstanden haben würde. 
Wir sind sehr traurig, wir wissen aber Ralph in Gottes Obhut

Wir werden Dich in liebevoller Erinnerung behalten. Wir vermissen Dich.
Edith und Dieter

Ralph was always a dear member of our family.  He was loving, kind, and helpful. My memory goes back to 1974 when the Picker family came over for Christmas, with my big cousins (Ralph being always bigger than my big brother although they are the same age).  Later he spent the summer with us in Ketsch and accompanied us on long trips in our VW camper van to southern Italy in1978 and to Austria in1981. I will not forget how he comforted me when my grandmother died that year.
When we were in the US he would always spent time with us and he  chose great activities. For example in 2014 when we were there he took us to the butterfly pavilion.
Ralph we miss you, your cheerful laughter (that was silent for the last year) and your optimistic company

Katharina and Christian Lorentz with Paul an Johannes

I met Ralph in the early 2000s when we were cubemates at EDS/Maxtor. We became fast friends. It was easy to like him, with his boisterous personality and loud laugh.

One of my best memories of Ralph was going to a Japanese restaurant with him in Boulder. He had decided that he was going to expand my culinary horizons by trying food I had never had before. Squid and octopus were on the menu. So was Sake. I found out that I really liked seaweed and will never EVER have chicken feet again. Oh how he laughed as I squirmed and fidgeted eating those. 

Once I had moved out of Colorado, we continued to keep in touch by phone. Many hours were spent exchanging stories and laughs.  I will miss that. He was truly one of a kind. 



My heart goes out to all the Pickers in this sad, sad time.  Some of my best memories are times with your family.    Here are a few of my memories that I’ll hold forever:  Ralph had such a big heart and an infectious, strong personality.  People were drawn to him wherever he went.  He had the gift of an instant connection with everyone he met.  Of course, we met in Jr. high when he emptied his spit valve from his trombone on the back of my chair to get my attention.  In high school we were great friends .  He was always the prankster.  From “TP”ing Mr. Petraitis’ German classroom to filling Mr .Tolmachoff’s office with phone books, Ralph was always at the forefront of the plans.  Prom night was so memorable and dancing at Pogos ‘till close- then heading to Abos next door for a slice and a coke for $2.  and of course the many “Picker pig roasts”!  Too many great memories to list.   When we went on trips together, we would often go to time share presentations for the free stuff.  Ralph would do the talking and we’d get out of there early with no time share and all the freebies.  He definitely had the gift of gab.   
“Everybody loves Ralph” was a phrase my mother often said.   His passion for cooking, his loyal friendships to so many,… he saved my life as many of you know.  I’ll never forget as long as I live.
Although we lost touch over the past years, Ralph will forever be in my heart and never ever forgotten.


To Ralph's family:
The Herzogs of Boulder knew Ralph well, particularly in his early youth.
We also knew his parents fairly well.
Our deep condolences to Heidi and Bill and Rob.
Alex and Nancy and Tom and Steve Herzog

A fun, smart, thoughtful and caring guy who will be missed and remembered.

Love for Ralph . . . 

     Ralph  occupied a very special rung in my head and in my heart. And this is the rung of, ‘One of my very favorite people.’
 
     Ralph was intelligent, good-looking and charming. I, for one, was drawn to him (as were so many people), enjoying talking with him and just being in his presence and in his orbit. 

     But what I appreciate most about Ralph, and why he will forever be one of my very favorite people was quite simply (and, yet, quite profoundly) his goodness. Kind and genuine, Ralph had such goodness in his heart and soul. 

     This is a loss for all of us. Ralph will be greatly missed; and I’m really grateful I got to know him. 

Barb Miles


Ralph was an awesome guy, a great boss and a true friend. One time another friend was complaining about how hungry he was while on a business trip in India so we sent him this picture of Ralph eating a Baconator from Wendy's, and good laughs were had by all. Rest in peace, Ralph. You'll be missed!

Ralph has always (and will always) have a special place in my heart! The memories are so many!!! We remained in contact through thick and thin and though we didn't talk often, when we did, we talked for hours. Such a caring man who's friendship I truly cherished. This photo is from a special moment that Ralph made happen. This picture with Mrs Whitney was taken just after my Mom passed. Ralph was talking with her and she asked to talk to me. He called me and gave her his phone and sent me this selfie. That conversation meant so much to me! This is the last photo I have of him. Memories of meeting him at German club right after we moved to Boulder, Youth Group retreats, climbing in the church bell tower, play tours, high school shenanigans, dating, Rob and Gay's wedding and rehearsal dinner, different parties, phone conversations, are only the highlights. 

All of you are in my thoughts and prayers. My heart breaks that he was too young!

Much love!
-Michele

OBITUARY

Ralph Matz Picker

November 21, 1965 – June 4, 2022

Crist Mortuary & Cremation and Mountain View Memorial Park

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