Bom-Wrapper

The Memorial Candle Program has been designed to help offset the costs associated with the hosting this Tribute Website in perpetuity. Through the lighting of a memorial candle, your thoughtful gesture will be recorded in the Book of Memories and the proceeds will go directly towards helping ensure that the family and friends of Ralph Franke can continue to memorialize, re-visit, interact with each other and enhance this tribute for future generations.

Thank you.

Cancel
Select Candle
Ralph Franke
In Memory of
Ralph C.
Franke
1922 - 2015
Click above to light a memorial candle.

The lighting of a Memorial Candle not only provides a gesture of sympathy and support to the immediate family during their time of need but also provides the gift of extending the Book of Memories for future generations.

Memories

Ralph was CO of our guard unit in East Liverpool and Wallace Tipton and I  were civilian employees for the unit.  We became close friends with Merval and Ralph with routine penny ante games played at the Franke home with their landlord Mr Poole participating (he was handicaped so he really enjoyed the company).  

Ralph visited the Guard office daily on his way home from work  to check upon events requiring his supervision as well as planning for up coming activities effecting the training schedules for the unit. He really became almost a full time member as each years summer camp rolled around when planning and accomplishment of various requirements for a successful training was needed.

Ralph was required to attend the armored school prior to the company being activated so he relied upon Tipton and I to effectively keep the men informed and to supervise the units move to Fort Polk, La.

I really appreciated Ralph's counsel and assistance as he supervised my career advancement from being  a Corporal when I became a full time employee to becoming a Master Sargeant then a Warrent Officer and when the unit was called to active duty I was commissioned as a 2nd Lt.  Arrival at FT Polk I was reassigned to another unit.  He and I visited but he was released from duty while I was shipped to Korea.  

We saw one another now and then after we had returned to Liverpool but my family and I relocated to Tampa so contact was rare.  I did stop at his home on a visit and Merval was taking a college refresher course so he and the youngest one were preparing a corn on the cob feast as he called it.  

I did see Ralph once more at Hoge's restaurant while we were on a visit to Liverpool and he recounted to me the events regarding the loss of his son and Merval and his home now being in Chester, WVa. My memories of the Franke family are etched in a gold frame. Today is my 89th birthday and seeing this obituary today recalls many events that took place early in those years while my wife and I were establishing the basis for a loving family  relationship with our children fashioned by the family pattern we gained from observing the Franke family.  May God bless them. 

Posted by Donald M Wellington
Wednesday July 8, 2015 at 11:45 am
Prev - Story 1 of 1 - Next
Recently Shared Condolences
Recently Shared Stories
Recently Shared Photos
Share by: