- Date Of Birth: 1934
- Date Of Death: 2022
- State: Arizona
Another great San Diegan is gone. Ralph Richey passed away peacefully with his family by his side at his home on August 12, 2022. Ralph is survived by his wife, Debbie; his daughter, Rene; his two stepsons, Kristopher and wife, Steph, and Jeremy with his two sons, Charlie and Maxon; his two sisters, Sharon and Pat and their families.
Ralph was born in 1934, at Mercy Hospital in San Diego, CA. He attended Hoover High School and then college at the University of Arizona in Tucson, where he earned his bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering. As he worked his way through school, his junior year at UofA, Ralph told his dear friend, Skip, that he could finally afford to join Sigma Alpha Epsilon. Their creed of what makes The True Gentleman helped to enhance Ralph’s already kind, generous and loving behavior. Ralph began his love of singing here with the fraternity and even joined a barbershop quartet. Ralph was asked and became a Theta Tau, which is an engineering honorary fraternity.
Ralph developed his love for civil engineering when he began riding on the Daley “dirt movers” right after WWII. They began developing the property across the street from his childhood home in the state college area and he would ask his mom to bake cookies and bring water for the drivers. Then he would pester them until they let him ride along.
That was the beginning of a 40 years professional relationship with the Daley Corporation, a family owned general contractor in San Diego. From cookie runner to Vice President/Contracts (1968-1978), President (1978-1986) and Chief Operating Officer (1986-1994), with so many positions along the way. His career with the Daley Corporation opened doors to a lifetime of friends and opportunities in the community.
Ralph met his first wife, Reba Lewis, in San Diego and were married in 1960, where they raised their daughters, Erin and Rene’, until Reba’s passing in December of 1987.
During his life with Reba, Ralph was very involved in the community, starting with AAU swimming by cheering for his two daughters, who both swam competitively for the La Mesa Swim Association and for Valhalla High School.
In his youth, Ralph played trumpet in the Bonham Brothers Mortuary Band, which took him to San Francisco for a welcoming home parade celebration at the close of WWII, and to the Rose Bowl in Pasadena. Ralph later took up the guitar, which he played with his yacht club friends.
Ralph remarried Debbie in San Diego in 1994 and remained in love and happily married until his passing. Ralph and Debbie lived in San Diego until 2001. During their 28 year marriage and 30 year romance, they loved boating, traveling and exploring and lived in Hawaii for several years before landing in Carefree, Arizona.
Ralph was widely respected in everything he was involved and, especially, in the general highway contracting industry.
Ralph loved the open road and the adventure of the drive. His other favorite things were swimming, music, BBQ’s, boating, traveling, exploring and especially spending time with his family and friends.
