Ralph Church

Ralph was born December 12, 1938, and went home to be with the Lord on November 25, 2024. He was preceded in death by his loving wife, Sandi. Ralph is survived by his daughter, Meryl O'Neil; his son, Eric Church; his granddaughters, Kayla Singleton and Rachel O'Neil; his grandsons, Brandon O'Neil and Garrett O'Neil; and his son-in-law, Robert O'Neil.

Ralph was born in Tipple, West Virginia (which no longer exists), to Archie and Marie Church. Tipple was located somewhere in eastern West Virginia and had only one traffic light (though it is unclear what the traffic light was for). Ralph was the youngest of two children and lost his older sister, Pat, at the age of 39. He was raised by his grandparents in Southwest Virginia, nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains—an area of such beauty that only God could create. Life was not easy for Ralph; his childhood was marked by hard farm work and attending school, where he rode a school bus. His mother and grandma were firm believers in Jesus Christ.

After high school, Ralph joined the U.S. Navy, where he completed boot camp in Maryland. Following boot camp, he was assigned to the USS Tarawa, a submarine warfare aircraft carrier. Ralph was fortunate enough to see the world, traveling from the Arctic Circle to the Equator during his time aboard the carrier. His duty was serving as a legal yeoman. After completing his service aboard the Tarawa, Ralph was assigned to the U.S. Naval Air Station Separation Center in Virginia Beach, Virginia, where he worked as a non-commissioned officer (Y-4). During these years, he drifted away from the Lord.

After his discharge from the Navy, Ralph enrolled at Dearborn Community College, where he began studying marketing. His focus was on sales and marketing, and after three years, he earned an associate degree. He then worked with his father, learning the construction business. During his "wild years," Ralph sought to see more of the world. He took a staff officer's test and became an assistant purser for the Georgian Bay Cruise Line. He was later promoted to senior assistant purser on the North American, a ship that traveled from Duluth, Minnesota, to Montreal/Quebec, Canada. Ralph served as an immigration officer and would transfer to different ships whenever they sailed through the St. Lawrence Seaway in Canada.

Later, Ralph worked for a wholesale building products company, which manufactured building materials. After two years, he became a regional/warehouse manager. He held this position for the duration of his time living in the northern suburbs of Detroit, Michigan. Ralph was then offered a management sales position by the CEO of the company to open up the Southwest market for their products in Dallas, Texas. After five years in Dallas, he was recruited by ARCO's building products division, where he worked until the division closed. Ralph then started his own business and enjoyed 32 years of success before retiring.

With his wife, Sandi, and their friends, Ralph traveled extensively, seeing most of the United States. In August of 1978, Ralph and Sandi came to know the Lord as their Savior shortly after moving from the northern suburbs of Detroit to Plano, Texas. Both of their children graduated from Plano Senior High School, later marrying and becoming independent.

Ralph was a proud “Poppy” of four grandchildren, whom he cherished deeply: Kayla, who works for Nordstrom as a business analyst in Denver, Colorado; Brandon, who flies for American Airlines out of Dallas, Texas; Rachel, who will be teaching 2nd grade dual language in Pflugerville, Texas; and Garrett, who attends Southeastern Oklahoma State University, studying to become a pilot for Southwest Airlines. One of Ralph's favorite things to do was take his grandkids out to dinner and catch up on what was happening in their lives.

There will be a memorial service to celebrate Ralph’s life at 2:30 p.m., Wednesday, December 18, 2024, at Allen Family Funeral Options. If you wish to join service via webcast: https://webcast.funeralvue.com/events/viewer/107640

Ralph will be laid to rest with military honors with his wife at Dallas/Ft Worth National Cemetery, Dallas, Texas.