Ralph was born on December 24, 1958, in Stamford, Connecticut. From a young age he showed signs of wanting to help others. He joined the Glenville Volunteer Fire Department while he was still in school, and shortly after he graduated, he became a member of the City of Stamford Fire Department.

He took pride in working in his hometown and serving the city that he loved so much. He would always say that working for the department was never boring because you never knew what would happen on your shift. Once on a routine call, he even had the privilege of delivering a baby girl while in an elevator on the way to the hospital.

Ralph was a huge Harley-Davidson enthusiast and enjoyed riding with his sons Mike and David whenever he got the chance. He also took special pride in his 1947 Indian Chief motorcycle. He rebuilt it entirely from boxes of disassembled parts and, once completed, he had restored it to its former glory.

He loved old engines as well. Every year he would look forward to getting in the driver’s seat of his station’s 1951 Mack firetruck to ride in the city’s annual balloon parade in Stamford. He would have children of all the other firefighters waving to the crowd from the back of the truck while Ralph smiled and rang the bell as they passed by.

Ralph loved being a firefighter and continued to serve his community for 32 years until his retirement in 2016. He then moved to New Bern, North Carolina, to enjoy the rest of his life.

Being a true firefighter at heart, when he moved to New Bern, he decided to join the local Township 7 Fire Department to continue serving the community that he now called home. You could always depend on Ralph to be the first one to respond, and on June 10, 2021, on his way to a call, he was involved in a line-of-duty accident that took his life at age 62.

Ralph will always be remembered for being a loving husband and father and for his dedication to fire service. As his wife, I take comfort in knowing that he lost his life doing what he loved, and I hope one day to begin to understand why such a wonderful man had to be taken away from us too soon.