GRANDPA
Special memories from his family: When Ralph was courting Effie in 1918, they were at the Stickney's for dinner. Ralph, intending to say something profound, inverted his words and came out with, "Well, you can lead a horse to drink but you can't make him water!"
Grandpa Ralph liked to play cards; the sunny kitchen dining nook in Puyallup was a favorite place. He taught us a game of Solitaire which HE did really well; success at it eludes us, however, after a generation of trying.
Effie and Ralph in later years, their daughter Lois recalls, admitted skinny dipping in the pond on their Ellensburg ranch. Daughter Marilyn recalls that the skinny dipping was in the Highline Canal at the top (South) of their place.
Dad was a man who always worked hard to support his family. Through even the toughest of times, his son David never recalls Ralph expressing lack of confidence or showing any negative emotion. His slender build belied the tough strength of his fatherly character.
Grandpa's Life: Ralph was born on October 27th, 1898 on his parents' farm east of Ellensburg on what is now known as the "Old Vantage Highway". Their next farm was on the Tjossem Road where the family had a new two-story home built. He attended two rural grade schools (District #5 and District #6) and Kittitas Union High School. Because of a track accident at school and pressure from his father to help with the family farming, he did not graduate from high school. A classmate had thrown a javelin which went into the top of Ralph's foot.
Ralph was so widely read that he could easily carry on discussing any topic, technical or otherwise. When kidded by his granddaughter Margie that she had much more history to learn than he, he said that his education included comprehensive history of the ancient civilizations. He then listed numerous terms and words (no longer used by those who don't use horse and buggy) with a challenge to identify what he was talking about. He always stressed a strong work ethic.
On March 2, 1919, he married Effie Stickney at the home of her parents. He drove a delivery wagon with team for Wells Fargo from the two local depots, Milwaukee and Northern Pacific, to local businesses. The wooden crate that he used to deliver bread in is in the possession of his grandson, Wayne Shones. In 1923 the company bought a Model T truck for the delivery business, a busy time with many trains to meet each day.
While courting Effie, Ralph recounted the evening he took her for a ride on his Harley Davidson motorcycle in Ellensburg. The old street lamps didn't give off much light and they came over a hill right into a cow. Effie, Ralph and Harley ended up in a ditch. The cow kept right on walking. Effie would never ride the motorcycle again. After they had been married a while, Ralph was driving one of the early Ford cars and went through a mud puddle. The wooden floorboards came loose and soaked only Effie. He always thought that story was more funny than Effie did! He was somewhat authoritative but liked to have a good time.
Their two eldest daughters were born while they lived in Ellensburg; Lois on Capital Avenue and Doris on South Main Street. From 1925 to 1932, he worked for Peterman Manufacturing Company in Tacoma. Daughter Marilyn was born in 1927 on McKinley Road in Tacoma.
In 1932, they returned to the Kittitas Valley where they bought an undeveloped 80 acres, built a home, and farmed just northeast of the town of Kittitas. He was also a ditch rider for the Reclamation Irrigation Project in the Badger Pocket area. He said it took an entire day to ride by horseback from one end of the Valley to another. Ralph told his granddaughter that on one occasion he spent the night in a bunkhouse with an old man who had not had a bath in a long time. Ralph hardly got any sleep due to the bedbugs biting him all night. Ralph would shake his head in amazement that the bugs did not bother the old man at all. Ralph said he used to go to different farms and lift or lower the boards that controlled the irrigation for that particular farm.
He farmed the year of 1937 for his parents in Ellensburg. While living there, his only son, David, was born. In 1940 he returned to Peterman's Manufacturing Company (a sawmill) in Tacoma. In 1942, the mill closed and he was employed at the Tacoma shipyards until 1944, living west of Puyallup. From June 1944 to August 1945, he worked at the Carson Lumber Company in Carson, Washington.
Then for six months of 1945, he was at the Snohomish Lumber Mill. He worked at the Howe Sound Nickel Mine at Lucerne on Lake Chelan until pneumonia forced his resignation. In 1947 and 1948, he was with the Lake Mill Company, a sawmill in Alder, Washington. On September 27, 1948, he, Effie and David moved to Riddle, Oregon where he was employed by the Harbor Plywood Company until his retirement. The mill had been sold and the new owners brought in their own Mill Foreman.
In Riddle, he was a member of the Masons and held many offices. Myrtle Creek's weekly newspaper, The Mail, had an article: Ralph Kinkade heads Riddle Lodge No. 148. He was always an active man and kept himself in good physical condition. Even at 70, he chopped his own wood and maintained a large garden and yard. He worked part time at the Riddle Cemetery maintaining the grounds.
His niece, Ethel Kinkade Hailicka, recalled that both Ralph and Effie were especially caring for her and her family; helping them considerably when they first moved to Oregon. "Uncle Ralph seemed like a father to me, as I did not know much about my Dad. Uncle Ralph loved to read books like Mickey Spillane that were a little risque." Ralph and Effie spent every evening reading. Ralph built bookshelves for his extensive collection of Zane Grey books and jig-saw puzzles on the lower shelves for visiting grandchildren.
He always loved being around his grandchildren and great-grandchildren, especially the youngest ones. Ralph could stand on his head and balance on his hands. He was especially strong and said that he had briefly worked at a job where he had to lift whole sides of beef onto hooks. He always had a favorite reclining chair and would playfully evict with one hand any child who was in his chair.
Ralph could appreciate a joke, too. One year he received potholders as a gift. Pretty soon, everyone gave Ralph potholders. He varnished boards to display his massive collection. He and Effie had many good friends in Riddle.
In 1965, he and Effie moved again to Puyallup, Washington after he had remodeled a home for them and she had retired from the Riddle Post Office. They celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary with many family members present. They returned to their hometown, Ellensburg, in April 1973 to live just two blocks from where they had been in 1921.
On January 28, 1975, he lost his wife of 55 years to a heart attack. Three months later he and daughter Doris flew to Indiana for a short visit to his granddaughter, Margie. She had lived with he and Effie over a five-year time span in Riddle and Puyallup. In October 1978, Ralph celebrated his 80th Birthday Anniversary at his home on East 1st Avenue in Ellensburg. Afterwards they went to his grandson Orin Page's home to visit with his children and their children. He liked to walk downtown and play a few games of pool and visit friends and family. Once his health deteriorated, Ralph decided to enter the Gold Leaf Nursing Home. While visiting with him there, he shared candy with his great grandchildren and asked his visiting great grandchild, Tara Beaver, to watch the horse running in the field. As the white horse ran through the green grass, white clouds of dust were being kicked up. Ralph remarked that it was volcanic ash from Mt. Saint Helens blowing up the year before. All of the ash had darkened the sky in central Washington after the eruption and the street lights had even come on during the middle of the day.
On September 8, 1981, at the age of 82, Ralph passed away. He is buried next to Effie at the IOOF cemetery in Ellensburg.
Special memories from his family: When Ralph was courting Effie in 1918, they were at the Stickney's for dinner. Ralph, intending to say something profound, inverted his words and came out with, "Well, you can lead a horse to drink but you can't make him water!"
Grandpa Ralph liked to play cards; the sunny kitchen dining nook in Puyallup was a favorite place. He taught us a game of Solitaire which HE did really well; success at it eludes us, however, after a generation of trying.
Effie and Ralph in later years, their daughter Lois recalls, admitted skinny dipping in the pond on their Ellensburg ranch. Daughter Marilyn recalls that the skinny dipping was in the Highline Canal at the top (South) of their place.
Dad was a man who always worked hard to support his family. Through even the toughest of times, his son David never recalls Ralph expressing lack of confidence or showing any negative emotion. His slender build belied the tough strength of his fatherly character.
Grandpa's Life: Ralph was born on October 27th, 1898 on his parents' farm east of Ellensburg on what is now known as the "Old Vantage Highway". Their next farm was on the Tjossem Road where the family had a new two-story home built. He attended two rural grade schools (District #5 and District #6) and Kittitas Union High School. Because of a track accident at school and pressure from his father to help with the family farming, he did not graduate from high school. A classmate had thrown a javelin which went into the top of Ralph's foot.
Ralph was so widely read that he could easily carry on discussing any topic, technical or otherwise. When kidded by his granddaughter Margie that she had much more history to learn than he, he said that his education included comprehensive history of the ancient civilizations. He then listed numerous terms and words (no longer used by those who don't use horse and buggy) with a challenge to identify what he was talking about. He always stressed a strong work ethic.
On March 2, 1919, he married Effie Stickney at the home of her parents. He drove a delivery wagon with team for Wells Fargo from the two local depots, Milwaukee and Northern Pacific, to local businesses. The wooden crate that he used to deliver bread in is in the possession of his grandson, Wayne Shones. In 1923 the company bought a Model T truck for the delivery business, a busy time with many trains to meet each day.
While courting Effie, Ralph recounted the evening he took her for a ride on his Harley Davidson motorcycle in Ellensburg. The old street lamps didn't give off much light and they came over a hill right into a cow. Effie, Ralph and Harley ended up in a ditch. The cow kept right on walking. Effie would never ride the motorcycle again. After they had been married a while, Ralph was driving one of the early Ford cars and went through a mud puddle. The wooden floorboards came loose and soaked only Effie. He always thought that story was more funny than Effie did! He was somewhat authoritative but liked to have a good time.
Their two eldest daughters were born while they lived in Ellensburg; Lois on Capital Avenue and Doris on South Main Street. From 1925 to 1932, he worked for Peterman Manufacturing Company in Tacoma. Daughter Marilyn was born in 1927 on McKinley Road in Tacoma.
In 1932, they returned to the Kittitas Valley where they bought an undeveloped 80 acres, built a home, and farmed just northeast of the town of Kittitas. He was also a ditch rider for the Reclamation Irrigation Project in the Badger Pocket area. He said it took an entire day to ride by horseback from one end of the Valley to another. Ralph told his granddaughter that on one occasion he spent the night in a bunkhouse with an old man who had not had a bath in a long time. Ralph hardly got any sleep due to the bedbugs biting him all night. Ralph would shake his head in amazement that the bugs did not bother the old man at all. Ralph said he used to go to different farms and lift or lower the boards that controlled the irrigation for that particular farm.
He farmed the year of 1937 for his parents in Ellensburg. While living there, his only son, David, was born. In 1940 he returned to Peterman's Manufacturing Company (a sawmill) in Tacoma. In 1942, the mill closed and he was employed at the Tacoma shipyards until 1944, living west of Puyallup. From June 1944 to August 1945, he worked at the Carson Lumber Company in Carson, Washington.
Then for six months of 1945, he was at the Snohomish Lumber Mill. He worked at the Howe Sound Nickel Mine at Lucerne on Lake Chelan until pneumonia forced his resignation. In 1947 and 1948, he was with the Lake Mill Company, a sawmill in Alder, Washington. On September 27, 1948, he, Effie and David moved to Riddle, Oregon where he was employed by the Harbor Plywood Company until his retirement. The mill had been sold and the new owners brought in their own Mill Foreman.
In Riddle, he was a member of the Masons and held many offices. Myrtle Creek's weekly newspaper, The Mail, had an article: Ralph Kinkade heads Riddle Lodge No. 148. He was always an active man and kept himself in good physical condition. Even at 70, he chopped his own wood and maintained a large garden and yard. He worked part time at the Riddle Cemetery maintaining the grounds.
His niece, Ethel Kinkade Hailicka, recalled that both Ralph and Effie were especially caring for her and her family; helping them considerably when they first moved to Oregon. "Uncle Ralph seemed like a father to me, as I did not know much about my Dad. Uncle Ralph loved to read books like Mickey Spillane that were a little risque." Ralph and Effie spent every evening reading. Ralph built bookshelves for his extensive collection of Zane Grey books and jig-saw puzzles on the lower shelves for visiting grandchildren.
He always loved being around his grandchildren and great-grandchildren, especially the youngest ones. Ralph could stand on his head and balance on his hands. He was especially strong and said that he had briefly worked at a job where he had to lift whole sides of beef onto hooks. He always had a favorite reclining chair and would playfully evict with one hand any child who was in his chair.
Ralph could appreciate a joke, too. One year he received potholders as a gift. Pretty soon, everyone gave Ralph potholders. He varnished boards to display his massive collection. He and Effie had many good friends in Riddle.
In 1965, he and Effie moved again to Puyallup, Washington after he had remodeled a home for them and she had retired from the Riddle Post Office. They celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary with many family members present. They returned to their hometown, Ellensburg, in April 1973 to live just two blocks from where they had been in 1921.
On January 28, 1975, he lost his wife of 55 years to a heart attack. Three months later he and daughter Doris flew to Indiana for a short visit to his granddaughter, Margie. She had lived with he and Effie over a five-year time span in Riddle and Puyallup. In October 1978, Ralph celebrated his 80th Birthday Anniversary at his home on East 1st Avenue in Ellensburg. Afterwards they went to his grandson Orin Page's home to visit with his children and their children. He liked to walk downtown and play a few games of pool and visit friends and family. Once his health deteriorated, Ralph decided to enter the Gold Leaf Nursing Home. While visiting with him there, he shared candy with his great grandchildren and asked his visiting great grandchild, Tara Beaver, to watch the horse running in the field. As the white horse ran through the green grass, white clouds of dust were being kicked up. Ralph remarked that it was volcanic ash from Mt. Saint Helens blowing up the year before. All of the ash had darkened the sky in central Washington after the eruption and the street lights had even come on during the middle of the day.
On September 8, 1981, at the age of 82, Ralph passed away. He is buried next to Effie at the IOOF cemetery in Ellensburg.
GRANDPA
Special memories from his family: When Ralph was courting Effie in 1918, they were at the Stickney's for dinner. Ralph, intending to say something profound, inverted his words and came out with, "Well, you can lead a horse to drink but you can't make him water!"
Grandpa Ralph liked to play cards; the sunny kitchen dining nook in Puyallup was a favorite place. He taught us a game of Solitaire which HE did really well; success at it eludes us, however, after a generation of trying.
Effie and Ralph in later years, their daughter Lois recalls, admitted skinny dipping in the pond on their Ellensburg ranch. Daughter Marilyn recalls that the skinny dipping was in the Highline Canal at the top (South) of their place.
Dad was a man who always worked hard to support his family. Through even the toughest of times, his son David never recalls Ralph expressing lack of confidence or showing any negative emotion. His slender build belied the tough strength of his fatherly character.
Grandpa's Life: Ralph was born on October 27th, 1898 on his parents' farm east of Ellensburg on what is now known as the "Old Vantage Highway". Their next farm was on the Tjossem Road where the family had a new two-story home built. He attended two rural grade schools (District #5 and District #6) and Kittitas Union High School. Because of a track accident at school and pressure from his father to help with the family farming, he did not graduate from high school. A classmate had thrown a javelin which went into the top of Ralph's foot.
Ralph was so widely read that he could easily carry on discussing any topic, technical or otherwise. When kidded by his granddaughter Margie that she had much more history to learn than he, he said that his education included comprehensive history of the ancient civilizations. He then listed numerous terms and words (no longer used by those who don't use horse and buggy) with a challenge to identify what he was talking about. He always stressed a strong work ethic.
On March 2, 1919, he married Effie Stickney at the home of her parents. He drove a delivery wagon with team for Wells Fargo from the two local depots, Milwaukee and Northern Pacific, to local businesses. The wooden crate that he used to deliver bread in is in the possession of his grandson, Wayne Shones. In 1923 the company bought a Model T truck for the delivery business, a busy time with many trains to meet each day.
While courting Effie, Ralph recounted the evening he took her for a ride on his Harley Davidson motorcycle in Ellensburg. The old street lamps didn't give off much light and they came over a hill right into a cow. Effie, Ralph and Harley ended up in a ditch. The cow kept right on walking. Effie would never ride the motorcycle again. After they had been married a while, Ralph was driving one of the early Ford cars and went through a mud puddle. The wooden floorboards came loose and soaked only Effie. He always thought that story was more funny than Effie did! He was somewhat authoritative but liked to have a good time.
Their two eldest daughters were born while they lived in Ellensburg; Lois on Capital Avenue and Doris on South Main Street. From 1925 to 1932, he worked for Peterman Manufacturing Company in Tacoma. Daughter Marilyn was born in 1927 on McKinley Road in Tacoma.
In 1932, they returned to the Kittitas Valley where they bought an undeveloped 80 acres, built a home, and farmed just northeast of the town of Kittitas. He was also a ditch rider for the Reclamation Irrigation Project in the Badger Pocket area. He said it took an entire day to ride by horseback from one end of the Valley to another. Ralph told his granddaughter that on one occasion he spent the night in a bunkhouse with an old man who had not had a bath in a long time. Ralph hardly got any sleep due to the bedbugs biting him all night. Ralph would shake his head in amazement that the bugs did not bother the old man at all. Ralph said he used to go to different farms and lift or lower the boards that controlled the irrigation for that particular farm.
He farmed the year of 1937 for his parents in Ellensburg. While living there, his only son, David, was born. In 1940 he returned to Peterman's Manufacturing Company (a sawmill) in Tacoma. In 1942, the mill closed and he was employed at the Tacoma shipyards until 1944, living west of Puyallup. From June 1944 to August 1945, he worked at the Carson Lumber Company in Carson, Washington.
Then for six months of 1945, he was at the Snohomish Lumber Mill. He worked at the Howe Sound Nickel Mine at Lucerne on Lake Chelan until pneumonia forced his resignation. In 1947 and 1948, he was with the Lake Mill Company, a sawmill in Alder, Washington. On September 27, 1948, he, Effie and David moved to Riddle, Oregon where he was employed by the Harbor Plywood Company until his retirement. The mill had been sold and the new owners brought in their own Mill Foreman.
In Riddle, he was a member of the Masons and held many offices. Myrtle Creek's weekly newspaper, The Mail, had an article: Ralph Kinkade heads Riddle Lodge No. 148. He was always an active man and kept himself in good physical condition. Even at 70, he chopped his own wood and maintained a large garden and yard. He worked part time at the Riddle Cemetery maintaining the grounds.
His niece, Ethel Kinkade Hailicka, recalled that both Ralph and Effie were especially caring for her and her family; helping them considerably when they first moved to Oregon. "Uncle Ralph seemed like a father to me, as I did not know much about my Dad. Uncle Ralph loved to read books like Mickey Spillane that were a little risque." Ralph and Effie spent every evening reading. Ralph built bookshelves for his extensive collection of Zane Grey books and jig-saw puzzles on the lower shelves for visiting grandchildren.
He always loved being around his grandchildren and great-grandchildren, especially the youngest ones. Ralph could stand on his head and balance on his hands. He was especially strong and said that he had briefly worked at a job where he had to lift whole sides of beef onto hooks. He always had a favorite reclining chair and would playfully evict with one hand any child who was in his chair.
Ralph could appreciate a joke, too. One year he received potholders as a gift. Pretty soon, everyone gave Ralph potholders. He varnished boards to display his massive collection. He and Effie had many good friends in Riddle.
In 1965, he and Effie moved again to Puyallup, Washington after he had remodeled a home for them and she had retired from the Riddle Post Office. They celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary with many family members present. They returned to their hometown, Ellensburg, in April 1973 to live just two blocks from where they had been in 1921.
On January 28, 1975, he lost his wife of 55 years to a heart attack. Three months later he and daughter Doris flew to Indiana for a short visit to his granddaughter, Margie. She had lived with he and Effie over a five-year time span in Riddle and Puyallup. In October 1978, Ralph celebrated his 80th Birthday Anniversary at his home on East 1st Avenue in Ellensburg. Afterwards they went to his grandson Orin Page's home to visit with his children and their children. He liked to walk downtown and play a few games of pool and visit friends and family. Once his health deteriorated, Ralph decided to enter the Gold Leaf Nursing Home. While visiting with him there, he shared candy with his great grandchildren and asked his visiting great grandchild, Tara Beaver, to watch the horse running in the field. As the white horse ran through the green grass, white clouds of dust were being kicked up. Ralph remarked that it was volcanic ash from Mt. Saint Helens blowing up the year before. All of the ash had darkened the sky in central Washington after the eruption and the street lights had even come on during the middle of the day.
On September 8, 1981, at the age of 82, Ralph passed away. He is buried next to Effie at the IOOF cemetery in Ellensburg.
Special memories from his family: When Ralph was courting Effie in 1918, they were at the Stickney's for dinner. Ralph, intending to say something profound, inverted his words and came out with, "Well, you can lead a horse to drink but you can't make him water!"
Grandpa Ralph liked to play cards; the sunny kitchen dining nook in Puyallup was a favorite place. He taught us a game of Solitaire which HE did really well; success at it eludes us, however, after a generation of trying.
Effie and Ralph in later years, their daughter Lois recalls, admitted skinny dipping in the pond on their Ellensburg ranch. Daughter Marilyn recalls that the skinny dipping was in the Highline Canal at the top (South) of their place.
Dad was a man who always worked hard to support his family. Through even the toughest of times, his son David never recalls Ralph expressing lack of confidence or showing any negative emotion. His slender build belied the tough strength of his fatherly character.
Grandpa's Life: Ralph was born on October 27th, 1898 on his parents' farm east of Ellensburg on what is now known as the "Old Vantage Highway". Their next farm was on the Tjossem Road where the family had a new two-story home built. He attended two rural grade schools (District #5 and District #6) and Kittitas Union High School. Because of a track accident at school and pressure from his father to help with the family farming, he did not graduate from high school. A classmate had thrown a javelin which went into the top of Ralph's foot.
Ralph was so widely read that he could easily carry on discussing any topic, technical or otherwise. When kidded by his granddaughter Margie that she had much more history to learn than he, he said that his education included comprehensive history of the ancient civilizations. He then listed numerous terms and words (no longer used by those who don't use horse and buggy) with a challenge to identify what he was talking about. He always stressed a strong work ethic.
On March 2, 1919, he married Effie Stickney at the home of her parents. He drove a delivery wagon with team for Wells Fargo from the two local depots, Milwaukee and Northern Pacific, to local businesses. The wooden crate that he used to deliver bread in is in the possession of his grandson, Wayne Shones. In 1923 the company bought a Model T truck for the delivery business, a busy time with many trains to meet each day.
While courting Effie, Ralph recounted the evening he took her for a ride on his Harley Davidson motorcycle in Ellensburg. The old street lamps didn't give off much light and they came over a hill right into a cow. Effie, Ralph and Harley ended up in a ditch. The cow kept right on walking. Effie would never ride the motorcycle again. After they had been married a while, Ralph was driving one of the early Ford cars and went through a mud puddle. The wooden floorboards came loose and soaked only Effie. He always thought that story was more funny than Effie did! He was somewhat authoritative but liked to have a good time.
Their two eldest daughters were born while they lived in Ellensburg; Lois on Capital Avenue and Doris on South Main Street. From 1925 to 1932, he worked for Peterman Manufacturing Company in Tacoma. Daughter Marilyn was born in 1927 on McKinley Road in Tacoma.
In 1932, they returned to the Kittitas Valley where they bought an undeveloped 80 acres, built a home, and farmed just northeast of the town of Kittitas. He was also a ditch rider for the Reclamation Irrigation Project in the Badger Pocket area. He said it took an entire day to ride by horseback from one end of the Valley to another. Ralph told his granddaughter that on one occasion he spent the night in a bunkhouse with an old man who had not had a bath in a long time. Ralph hardly got any sleep due to the bedbugs biting him all night. Ralph would shake his head in amazement that the bugs did not bother the old man at all. Ralph said he used to go to different farms and lift or lower the boards that controlled the irrigation for that particular farm.
He farmed the year of 1937 for his parents in Ellensburg. While living there, his only son, David, was born. In 1940 he returned to Peterman's Manufacturing Company (a sawmill) in Tacoma. In 1942, the mill closed and he was employed at the Tacoma shipyards until 1944, living west of Puyallup. From June 1944 to August 1945, he worked at the Carson Lumber Company in Carson, Washington.
Then for six months of 1945, he was at the Snohomish Lumber Mill. He worked at the Howe Sound Nickel Mine at Lucerne on Lake Chelan until pneumonia forced his resignation. In 1947 and 1948, he was with the Lake Mill Company, a sawmill in Alder, Washington. On September 27, 1948, he, Effie and David moved to Riddle, Oregon where he was employed by the Harbor Plywood Company until his retirement. The mill had been sold and the new owners brought in their own Mill Foreman.
In Riddle, he was a member of the Masons and held many offices. Myrtle Creek's weekly newspaper, The Mail, had an article: Ralph Kinkade heads Riddle Lodge No. 148. He was always an active man and kept himself in good physical condition. Even at 70, he chopped his own wood and maintained a large garden and yard. He worked part time at the Riddle Cemetery maintaining the grounds.
His niece, Ethel Kinkade Hailicka, recalled that both Ralph and Effie were especially caring for her and her family; helping them considerably when they first moved to Oregon. "Uncle Ralph seemed like a father to me, as I did not know much about my Dad. Uncle Ralph loved to read books like Mickey Spillane that were a little risque." Ralph and Effie spent every evening reading. Ralph built bookshelves for his extensive collection of Zane Grey books and jig-saw puzzles on the lower shelves for visiting grandchildren.
He always loved being around his grandchildren and great-grandchildren, especially the youngest ones. Ralph could stand on his head and balance on his hands. He was especially strong and said that he had briefly worked at a job where he had to lift whole sides of beef onto hooks. He always had a favorite reclining chair and would playfully evict with one hand any child who was in his chair.
Ralph could appreciate a joke, too. One year he received potholders as a gift. Pretty soon, everyone gave Ralph potholders. He varnished boards to display his massive collection. He and Effie had many good friends in Riddle.
In 1965, he and Effie moved again to Puyallup, Washington after he had remodeled a home for them and she had retired from the Riddle Post Office. They celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary with many family members present. They returned to their hometown, Ellensburg, in April 1973 to live just two blocks from where they had been in 1921.
On January 28, 1975, he lost his wife of 55 years to a heart attack. Three months later he and daughter Doris flew to Indiana for a short visit to his granddaughter, Margie. She had lived with he and Effie over a five-year time span in Riddle and Puyallup. In October 1978, Ralph celebrated his 80th Birthday Anniversary at his home on East 1st Avenue in Ellensburg. Afterwards they went to his grandson Orin Page's home to visit with his children and their children. He liked to walk downtown and play a few games of pool and visit friends and family. Once his health deteriorated, Ralph decided to enter the Gold Leaf Nursing Home. While visiting with him there, he shared candy with his great grandchildren and asked his visiting great grandchild, Tara Beaver, to watch the horse running in the field. As the white horse ran through the green grass, white clouds of dust were being kicked up. Ralph remarked that it was volcanic ash from Mt. Saint Helens blowing up the year before. All of the ash had darkened the sky in central Washington after the eruption and the street lights had even come on during the middle of the day.
On September 8, 1981, at the age of 82, Ralph passed away. He is buried next to Effie at the IOOF cemetery in Ellensburg.
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