He was 89. Ralph was born on July 19, 1933 in Yonkers, NY to Julius and Mary Blasewitz. Ralph was the second of three children. Unlike his late wife Frankie, Ralph was a city boy. Yonkers, a working class city, is located adjacent to New York City on the banks of the Hudson River. Ralph grew up with both parents working in large, factories and working hard to provide for their family as America tried to emerge from the Great Depression. He had a brother (Joe) who was 2 years older than him and a sister (Mary Jane) who was 11 years younger than him. Like most families of the time, Ralph's family relied on relatives to provide stability and support.
Ralph's childhood was happy as he and his brother were close, playing sports and spending a lot of time hanging out together. One of his favorite jobs as a youngster was when he and his brother would take a bus to Westchester where they would spend all day Saturday and Sunday caddying at a country club for a few dollars plus tips. When his little sister came along Ralph naturally took on some additional family responsibilities such as helping to care for Mary Jane and entertaining her with trips to the local park. As Ralph entered high school at Roosevelt High he discovered a passion for basketball and worked hard to be a great basketball player. His hard work paid off when he was offered several scholarship opportunities upon graduation. He chose Roanoke College in Virginia to continue his schooling and his basketball career.
During his first year in college he met the love of his life, Frankie St. Clair. After a whirlwind romance Ralph and Frankie were married in September of 1952. Ralph left college and enlisted in the Navy to start his life as a husband and parent. Together they were stationed in Norfolk, VA on the Navy base. During his time in the Navy, Ralph was trained in both sonar and radar operations and eventually became an instructor/trainer in both areas. His training in the Navy led to a position with General Electric in the area in which Frankie grew up. Their young family grew from one child while in the Navy to four children while they were living in Salem,VA. While working for General Electric, Ralph worked the night shift so that he could help Frankie during the day with their four children under the age of four! Every night during those times, Frankie would load the children up in the family car and take Ralph dinner at work. It was the beginning of what would become an incredibly close family. They built their first home together in Salem and immersed themselves in raising their children. During this time, Ralph's parents took an annual trip from Yonkers to Clearwater, FL and it was on these trips that Ralph fell in love with the Sunshine State and hoped to someday move to Florida. That wish came true when a position opened up that allowed Ralph and Frankie to move to Clearwater in the fall of 1963.
Ralph worked at Honeywell (and later Hercules) for many years primarily as a cost analyst for US Department of Defense contracts. He supplemented his income by working a second job at night at a local beverage store. Although he enjoyed his work, he and Frankie's primary focus was their children. Ralph and Frankie were very involved with their new church and became charter members of Light of Christ Catholic Church where Ralph could be seen every Sunday in his white tuxedo and black bowtie serving as an usher. In addition, he served as the President of Clearwater Little League for many years and also umpired (except for games involving his sons) several times per week. He and Frankie worked many hours together in the concession stand and served as team dad and team mom for the various teams that the boys played on. When the kids entered high school, Ralph shifted his volunteerism to Clearwater Central Catholic High School as a member and officer of the Dad's Club. He never said no to any opportunity to serve the school but focused most of his volunteering efforts supporting the high school teams in which his children were involved. His lifelong love of basketball also led him to begin a ten year stint as a high school basketball referee. lt was a special treat for his children to accompany him to his games and watch Dad referee. Invariably, the trip home was a breakdown of each team and their strengths and weaknesses. Like Frankie, Ralph was a big sports fan. Growing up, he loved boxing, baseball and basketball. His favorite teams as a young adult were the New York teams, the St. Louis Cardinals, and the Baltimore Colts. Later in life he became a huge Tampa Bay Buccaneers fan and was an original season ticket holder. He would attend games with good friends Don and Chris Guckian for many years. He was also a fan of the Florida State Seminoles and he had great admiration for their coach, Bobby Bowden. Ralph took the opportunity to retire early and found that he absolutely loved being retired. He and Frankie moved to Perico Bay Club in Bradenton where they met many new friends. He started playing tennis regularly and quickly developed a passion for both playing and watching tennis. He played several times per week with his new friends and he and Frankie traveled to several big tournaments around the southeast to watch professionals play.
He and Frankie also traveled frequently to Europe with his cousin Dick Kania and wife Joan. He loved to travel and was always excited about his next trip, whether it was abroad or a trip to the mountains of North Carolina or Virginia. As they got older, he and Frankie moved to Mease Manor in Dunedin into independent living. Ralph was beginning to exhibit signs of dementia so they chose Mease Manor because it provided for progressive care in the event that his dementia became more serious. He and Frankie loved living at Mease Manor for the carefree lifestyle and tight community that it provided and they met many new friends. Eventually, Ralph was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease and as the disease progressed he relocated to Mease Manor Memory Center. He received incredibly loving care at the memory center and his family is indebted to the staff who took such good care of him. He beat the odds and fought the disease for over four years before finally succumbing to it. Ralph was fortunate to be married to Frankie for more than 70 years. Together, they have left a legacy of love and family that has set the standard for their children and their grandchildren. Known affectionately as Pop Pop or sometimes "Rotten Ralph" to his children and grandchildren he was the patriarch to a huge family that is tremendously close to one another and remains so today - just as he and Frankie planned it!
Ralph was predeceased by Frankie on September 29,2022. Ralph is survived by his sister, Mary Jane Larsen. He is also survived by his four children, Dave (Linda), Joe (Mary), Mike (Helena), and Cindy (Pat). In addition, he is survived by his 10 grandchildren (Bob, Michael, Katie, Matt, Brian, Kevin, Lauren, Joe, Jenny, and Leah). He is also survived by 18 great grandchildren (Payton, Carter, Nora, Finn, Michael, Charlotte, Braxton, Claire, Audrey, Bowen, Adalei, Paisley, Ava Mae, Annie, Connor, Evi, Easton, and Jasper). In memory of Ralph, donations can be made to the Alzheimer's Foundation of America at www.azfdn.org and/or Suncoast Hospice at www.suncoasthospicefoundation.org/honor
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