Ralph Henry Merryman's Obituary
Ralph Henry Merryman, 96, passed away on Thursday, August 21, 2014 at 4:15 a.m. at Canterbury Villa of Alliance. He was born on May 15, 1918 in Alliance, where he spent most of his life. Ralph served in the Army Air Forces in the China-Burma-India Theater, during World War II, in the 14th Air Force, 11th Bomb Squadron (also known as the Flying Tigers and the China Air Task Force). A photograph of he and his fellow B-25 mechanics is displayed at the monument to the Air Force Veterans in Kunming, Yunnan Province, China, which was home to one of the bases from which his bomber group flew. He continued to serve in the Air Force as a reservist until the early 1960s. On November 29, 1945, after returning from the combat theater, Ralph married Rose Margaret Fulop, whom he d started dating before the war, while she was a nurse and he an employee of Cope Electric. He worked for several years at Armour & Co. Abrasives before getting hired at Babcock & Wilcox Research Center, where he worked as a metallurgist and technologist for 33 years until his retirement in 1988. He was the holder of three patents on fuel burning technologies, including one for a liquid atomizer that is still yielding recent patent developments. After his retirement, at the age of 74, he bought a neglected 10-acre farm that he transformed into an organic orchard and garden. He dedicated the last 20 years of his life to learning and mastering different organic methods of growing plants and revitalizing soil. He was a beloved father. His survivors include his daughters Rebecca Merryman and Molly Merryman; son-in-law Tim Williams; daughter-in-law Lauren Vachon; numerous nieces and nephews; and his recent caregiver and friend Judy Robinson. He was preceded in death by his wife Rose (Fulop) Merryman in 1996; his parents; John Thomas and Flora Henrietta (Spies) Merryman; and brothers Arthur, Herbert, Joseph and Marion. The family will receive friends at Sharer-Stirling-Skivolocke Funeral Home on Thursday, August 28, 2014 from 6:00 - 8:00 p.m. Interment, with military honors, will take place at Alliance City Cemetery. Ralph s family wishes to acknowlege the loving care and kindness the staff of Canterbury Villa and Alliance Visiting Nurse and Hospice provided to him.
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