Ralph was born in the Cleveland, Ohio suburb of Shaker Heights on January 9, 1927 to Harry Hamilton and his wife, Helen (Weber) Hamilton, both of whom were from Cleveland, Ohio before moving to Clifton, New Jersey in the 1920’s.
Ralph attended Clifton High School in Clifton, New Jersey, and following high school he spent four years in the 82nd Airborne infantry division of the U.S. Army as a paratrooper. He then went to work as a letter carrier for the United States Postal Service for 32 years in Fair Lawn, NJ, and on his days off he painted the houses of many mail customers and friends. He also served as a Cub Scout and Boy Scout troop leader where his two sons were very active.
After retiring from the Postal Service and moving to Cape Coral, Florida, Ralph began work with The School District of Lee County as a Maintenance Supervisor for the next 20 years where he was loved by students, faculty and staff. During this time, he also operated his own lawn care business where his services were in such high demand with as many as 42 customers each week, he could no longer accept new customers. At the age of 89 Ralph finally decided to retire for good.
He was a faithful member of First Christian Church of Cape Coral and more recently Trinity Reformed Church of Cape Coral. He enjoyed boating, fishing, and cruising all over the Caribbean with his wife Betty Ann and all their friends from a travel club.
He is survived by his wife of 42 years, Betty Ann Hamilton, his two sons Ralph Jr. (Fran) and Jeffrey (Karen) Hamilton, both of Wayne, New Jersey; daughter Denise (Wayne) Morosco and daughter-in-law Nancy Kukol, both of Cape Coral, Florida; grandchildren Michael (Kim), Jaclyn, Gillian, Jeffrey Jr., and Victoria, all of Wayne, New Jersey; Sarah (Erick); Jacob, Amanda, and Benjamin, all of Cape Coral; and great-grandchildren Brendon and Caroline of Wayne, New Jersey, and Aubriana, Adelynn, and Avaleigh of Cape Coral, Florida. Ralph was predeceased by his parents, Harry and Helen Hamilton, brother Harry Hamilton, Jr., and stepson Gordon Kukol.
A memorial service with military honors celebrating Ralph’s life will be held at Trinity Reformed Church of Cape Coral located at 2220 Hancock Bridge Parkway, Cape Coral, Florida, on Saturday, February 15, 2020 at 11:00 a.m., with visitation from 10:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. A reception will also follow at the Church.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations in Ralph’s memory to be made to Trinity Reformed Church designated to the RYS youth bible conference where the youth of the Church learn more of the Lord Jesus. Donations may be sent to Trinity Reformed Church, Attention: RYS Fund, 2220 Hancock Bridge Parkway, Cape Coral, FL 33990. Condolences and memories may also be shared online at CoralRidgeFuneralHome.com
His family expresses their deepest thanks and appreciation to the staff of Hope Hospice of Cape Coral for their kind and compassionate care provided during the last weeks of his earthly life.
Ralph was kind and friendly to all, loved talking with others, and his warm words and friendly demeanor will be sadly missed by all who knew him. His family mourn his loss and honor his life, but celebrate the promise of Christ who safely and securely delivers all His covenant people out of eternal death and destruction and into His glorious presence in heaven. “For we know that if our earthly house, this tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.” (2 Corinthians 5:1).
