Ralph Loran Frazier was born on November 8, 19311 in Wheatland, WY and passed away on July 2, 2012 in Yakima, WA. Raised by his parents, Loran and Elva Frazier, Ralph was the son of farmers and the depression. Moving frequently as his parents found work, Ralph and his younger brother Elmer, finally found a home in the Yakima Valley. He found much joy in his horse named Pepper as a young teenager from which grew his lifetime love of horses. Ralph graduated from Wapato High School, joined the U.S. Air Force and spent 11 years traveling the world with his wife Bobbie Frazier (Eslick). He told special stories of guarding equipment with an M-1 Carbine in Korea immediately following the armistice there. Ralph eventually became a specialist in operating teletype machines. One of his most interesting stories was being sent to Florida, handed a pistol and running messages during the Cuban Missile Crises. He was very proud of his military service. During his time in the U.S. Air Force, a small family grew. Ralph left the service in 1963 to return to the family, Yakima Valley, horses, hunting and the farming that he knew and loved. With dogged determination, he showed up at Boise Cascade plywood mill, day after day until they agreed to hire him, a career that would last 30 years. He retired as a Mill Wright to farm apples, hay and cows on the land that his father and mother had passed on to him with similar determination. Ralph had many stories about his life, all very entertaining and he was more than willing to tell them to you again and again if you weren’t fast enough. Ralph married Bobbie on February 2, 1952 on Ground Hog’s Day to make it easy for the boys of the family to remember the date. Ralph and Bobbie celebrated their 60th anniversary this year. He counted among his many friends the members of the Back Country Horsemen’s club and the VFW. Somewhere in there he managed to become a pretty good bowler too. Ralph especially enjoyed the family dinners each Sunday. Ralph is survived by his loving wife, Bobbie Frazier (Eslick), daughter Lola Worden (Larry), Sons Alan Frazier (Cherokee) and Bruce Frazier (Glenda). Also his Granddaughters Autumn, Chante’, Lexa, Jolie and his Grandson Tyler. Ralph was preceded in death by his parents Loran and Elva Frazier, his brother Elmer Frazier, his son Ralph Frazier, Jr. and his granddaughter Amber Frazier. He goes to a better place where the horses are always saddled, the fruit is always ripe, the sprinklers never plugged and his stories are fresh and new again. We will miss him greatly.
Visitation will be from 4:00 to 8:00 p.m. Friday, July 6, 2012 at Keith & Keith Funeral Home. Funeral services will be conducted at 10:00 a.m. Saturday, July 7th at Keith & Keith Ninth Avenue Chapel, concluding services will follow in the Naches Cemetery. To share a memory of Ralph visit, www.keithandkeith.com.
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