Ralph Moormann 7/21/1921 - 6/15/2017 Ralph was born in Cincinnati Ohio in 1921. He is the oldest of 3. Middle sibling was his sister Antoinette (Toni, died 2008) and youngest sibling was his brother Robert (Bob, died 2001). He and his brother made and flew model airplanes (on control lines) and were also interested in trains, electronics, and chemistry (e.g., making fireworks). He had a dog, named Tippy, who was either a border collie or a Shetland sheepdog. Tippy didnt eat for weeks when Ralph left to go into the army. He was in the army during World War II (Officers training and then stationed in Iceland for the final year or so of the war; he worked on tanks, the searchlights in Iceland, and was the censor for letters home). After WWII, Ralph went to University of Cincinnati on the GI bill and earned his associates degree in Chemistry. He worked for the same company for his entire career (Inmont, now owned by BASF, a paint company - he worked on the stains for wood products). He met his wife, Frances, through mutual friends and they were married in 1948. She was a nurse, and had also served in the army during WWII. He and Fran had one daughter, Amy, who was born in 1965. He was very interested in photography. He belonged to the Camera Club in Cincinnati, and developed his own black and white prints, exhibiting some in the shows through the Camera Club. He also was interested in astronomy. He and his brother each built their own telescopes (he says they even ground their own mirrors?). In 1975, Ralph and family moved to Morganton, North Carolina because he was transferred there for work. In NC, Ralph cultivated his own small vegetable garden in his back yard, and also grew grapes and learned to make wine. He also became a very good woodworker - he has made everything from bookshelves and folding tables, to fancy boxes with inlaid tops, to magnets and wine stoppers turned on the lathe. He built and installed his own solar panels for solar hot water for his house. He was also a member of the local Gem and Mineral Club, helping with the annual show, and collecting (hunting) his own rocks (both in Ohio and NC). In the 1980s, Ralph became interested in computers, and he and Amy made their own from a kit. In 1983, Ralph took early retirement from work (the same year Amy graduated from High School), and went back to college at the local community college, where he earned an associate degree in Computer Technology. Both in Ohio and in NC, Ralph was the neighborhood fix it man - always happy to help with whatever project was at hand, and especially to get things like lawn mowers and other gadgets working again for his neighbors. Amy left home in 1983 to attend NC State University for undergraduate, and in 1987 moved to Pittsburgh to attend Carnegie Mellon University, where she got her PhD in Computer Science in 1995. She married Mark Zaremski in 1989. Amy and Mark moved to Rochester NY in 1996. In 1998, Amy and Mark adopted their son, Luke, from Korea. Luke is Ralphs only grandchild. Ralph enjoyed making wooden toys for Luke when he was young, and sharing a love of ice cream as Luke grew up. In the 1990s, Fran had a series of heart-related health issues. In 1993, Fran had a heart attack, required heart surgery to repair a valve, and suffered a stroke during the heart surgery. She was initially paralyzed on one side but was able to regain most of her mobility after a period of time in rehab. This was a big adjustment for Ralph, to become much more responsible for most of the housework. In 1997, Fran had valve replacement surgery in February, which was successful, but ultimately in May 1997, she succumbed to heart failure and passed away. Ralph lived very independently in NC until Amy and Mark encouraged him to move to Rochester to be closer to them. He moved here in August 2004. His health began declining over the years with dementia, but with increasing care, he was able to remain independently in his home until 2016, when he moved first to the Lodge at Wolk Manor (assisted living), and then in April to St Johns Home. Even at St Johns Home, he continued to enjoy time in the beautiful courtyard garden, planting flowers, listening to music, and special treats from the ice cream parlor (especially root beer floats). Ralph was a quiet, modest man, with a fascination of nature and of how things work. He loved his family deeply, especially his wife Fran - he mourned her for the 20 years they were apart after her death. He was not overtly religious, but he lived his life in a good, moral way.

Service

Thursday, June 22, 2017 11:00 AM Rest Haven Memorial Park 10209 Plainfield Road Cincinnati 45241, United States