He was born on October 25, 1930 in Salisbury, MD to W.H. Smith Hollingshead and Effie Mae Graham. His grandfather was Levin Graham of Mardela Springs, MD where Ralph was raised. Ralph attended grade school and High School in Mardela where he was known as " Scratty Mooch"; and he graduated in 1947. Ralph worked in various jobs, Auction Block, Panzer pickles, and printing. He joined the U.S. Navy in 1951 after his best friend was killed in Korea. Ralph was a Gunner's Mate Second Class Petty Officer (GM2) and Gun Mount Captain on the Sub Tender USS Howard W. Gilmore; Home Ported in Key West, FL. Ralph made various trips to Havana, Cuba before Castro and had a few stories to tell. He was Honorably Discharged in February 1955. Upon returning home, Ralph went to Mergenthaler Vocational School in Baltimore, MD under the G.I. Bill to study printing. He was employed by Williams & Wilkins Waverly Press, as a Hand Compositor. Ralph met Margaret in 1956, and they were married on February 8, 1957. After working in Baltimore for 10 years, Ralph wanted to get back to the Eastern Shore of MD. He transferred to Waverly Press in Easton, MD. He, his wife, and sons Mickey and Wayne all moved to Stoney Ridge in Easton, MD. After a few years, he became employed in Washington D.C. at the Government Printing Office. They assigned him to Capitol Hill in Washington DC. He became Editor for the Department of Interior, which handled Hearings for National Parks and Native American Reservations. He worked under Sen. Morris Udall (AZ) and was on the committee with Sen. John McCain (AZ). It was a very interesting job because he became acquainted with various people such as Joe Biden, Nancy Pelosi, Jean Kennedy, and many others. Ralph retired in 1995. He worked part-time as a Starter for The Easton Club Golf Course and transporting cars for Smith Buick in Easton.
Over the years, Ralph had many interests. He coached Little League Baseball, played golf, and worked in his vegetable garden. He loved Fishing and Crabbing on his boat; enjoyed Duck and Goose Hunting on the Nanticoke River. At the Easton Elks Lodge #1622, he attended many events, and worked on various committees and conventions.
Ralph was a member of St. Marks United Methodist Church, Easton, MD; Caroline County Country Club; Life Member of Elks Lodge, Easton, MD, and Warrington Elks Lodge, Pensacola FL; Veterans of Foreign War (VFW) Life Member; and Member of the American Legion. He volunteered countless hours with these organizations. He worked for the Easton Waterfowl Festival for 25 years. After moving to Pensacola, FL in 2003, Ralph became member of Bellview United Methodist Church. He also volunteered at the U.S. Naval Air Museum as a Tour Guide.
Ralph is survived by his loving family consisting of his devoted wife Margaret, son Michael (Mickey), and his husband Jonathan Murray, son Wayne and his wife Megan, grandson Austin Hollingshead, granddaughter Tanna Montaina and her husband Andrew, great-grandchildren Graham and Gia Montaina.
Ralph was greatly loved by his family and will be greatly missed. A Memorial Service will be held at 2:00 p.m., Saturday, July 09, 2022 at Bellview United Methodist Church in Pensacola, FL. In lieu of flowers, please donate to Bellview United Methodist Church, 4945 Saufley Field Rd., Pensacola, FL 32526 in memory of Ralph Hollingshead.
SHARE OBITUARY
v.1.8.17