A Tribute to the Life of Ralph Richard

He was a wonderful son…his father died at 59 years old, and Ralph took  the responsibility of helping and protecting his mother seriously. He always made time to take her out for lunch, cut her grass, make sure she was taking her medicine and keeping up with her bills and household management.

Happily married for 45 years to Diane, Ralph was a loving and caring husband.  He was always supportive of Diane’s undertakings, even helping her correct papers when she was a teacher. They had met on the tennis courts at Eastern Michigan University, and Ralph made sure that Diane’s tennis playing days didn’t end there. Being the sports fan he was he also saw to it that they would share his passion for other sports…namely skiing and golf. Early in his career as Parks and Recreation Director for Waterford, Ralph created a Senior Citizens group.  Many of the members expressed an interest in travel.  Diane and Ralph accompanied them as “chaperones” on a couple of their early trips.  The seniors advised Ralph and Diane not to wait until they’re also considered seniors before they start traveling.  They took this advice to heart and have enjoyed visiting many fascinating places such as Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, China, Italy, Greece, Russia, and many interesting cities in Europe.  Ralph was one of the leaders of the Whales Ski Group that consisted of friends who loved skiing and sharing their experiences.  This group took about 17 trips out West and even to Whistler in British Colombia.  At times the children of these skiers would join the group, thus creating the younger generation of skiers known as the Dolphins. 

He was a Dad who loved being a father and was always there for his son, Kyle and daughter, Wendy. When they were in grade school at St. Michaels, he coached their basketball teams and was there to support them in all the big and small events of their lives. He was a huge fan of Catholic Central High School and was active in the Dad’s Club when Kyle was a student there.  Even recently he took his grandsons to football and basketball games at C.C.

Ralph was a hands-on grandfather who played with his four grandchildren, Paige, Brandon, Austin, and Kailey. Whether it was playing catch, taking them to the driving range at Lyon Oaks to teach them how to swing a golf club, or summer excursions that included visits to Greenfield Village and the Detroit Zoo, or putting worms on their fishing poles, Ralph loved being their Papa. He made an important impact in each of their lives. 

In his career as Parks & Recreation Director first in Waterford, next in the city of Southfield, and then as Executive Officer of Oakland County Parks, Ralph was a friend and mentor to many of his colleagues. Staff members have shared with us Ralph’s  philosophy of life…Put family first, followed by your faith and health, and once all these are in balance, your professional life will fall into place.  By following this basic philosophy, he enjoyed many successes throughout his career and received many accolades.  Two of the things he was most proud of were the design and establishment of Lyon Oaks County Park and Golf Course in the early 2000’s and being inducted this past October to the Michigan Recreation and Parks Association (MRPA) Hall of Fame.

Paige's First Communion

Ralph felt strongly about his faith in God and what it meant to live a good Christian life. He had attended St. Francis of Assisi for grades 1-5, and after moving to Redford he attended Our Lady of Grace for 6^th to 8^th grade.  His high school years were spent at Detroit Cathedral High School.  He felt Catholic education was important for Kyle and Wendy, so they also attended catholic schools prior to college.  He had a strong devotion to Fr. Solanus, and he and Diane made frequent visits to St. Bonaventure in Detroit to pray to Fr. Solanus and support the mission of the Capuchian Fathers. At St. Michaels in Southfield he served on the Administration Committee. Here at St. Patricks he was active in the projects of the Knights of Columbus such as Lenten Fish Fries, basketball shooting contests for children, and improvement projects in the Church and parish hall.

We all learned about fortitude and perseverance as we witnessed the positive attitude Ralph had after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.   He accepted it as one more challenge in his life, and was willing to take on whatever the doctors offered him by way of treatment or procedure in order to have more time with his family and friends.  This included Clinical Trials and other treatments that would hopefully help future pancreatic cancer patients.  He was an inspiration to us all.  His oncologist at U of M told his family that the combination of his belief in God, his mental determination, and his will to live will be referred to as a model for others facing this diagnosis.

During his last few days of life he told Diane that when he gets to heaven he wants to coach children in sports.  We can picture him up there already, organizing teams and setting up leagues.  This, of course, would be when he isn’t golfing on the Heavenly Fairways with his friends who have been waiting for him. 

And finally we have a famous quote that seems to sum Ralph up quite well.

It’s not the years in your life but the life in your years that counts.

See you at the finish line!