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Ralph DelBello Obituary
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Memories and Condolences
for Ralph DelBello
Kenny (Young Kendall) Thompson
November 8, 2008
This is what I would have said at Ralphs' Memorial had I been able to attend. 10/3/08
Last night Sheila was going through some photos that we have of Ralph. She was smiling and laughing as she handed them to me to look at. The next night the kids came over to comfort Sheila and myself and we all sat at he dinning room table sharing those same photos and reminiscing the memories our family has of the many years of friendship we were lucky enough we had with him. Having our kids there to support us during this difficult time certainly made the pain of losing Ralph a bit easier to accept.
Looking at these photos gave me a chance to reflect on when the bond I shared with Ralph began.......
Maybe it was formed when Jimmy, Ralph and I( with Jimmy's encouragement), decided to try our luck as barbers!!! A friend of mine wanted to have his hair cut similar to the way the 3 of us had ours cut. We went to Jimmy's house, where Ralph and Jimmy proceeded to take all the mirrors down before we began to cut his hair. As you can imagine when we were through cutting George D looked like Mo from the 3 Stooges!! We then walked to Sheila's house to take the picture (that photo is in black-n-white). We reassured George that he looked great!!!!
Ralph was a groomsman in 1971 when Sheila and I were married....the perfect groomsman. Arriving at the reception after the wedding, Ralph (driving Sheila's uncle Dan's car) proceeded to help the girls exit the car, however the doors locked automatically...We sat at Newton Fire Hall in Hamburg with Sheila's uncle Dan's Cadillac running...and the spare keys back in South Buffalo.
He was there for us in 1972 at the hospital the day Kevin was born...although Sheila believes that it was because he scored 2 club house passes for the Canadian Open held at Cherry Hill that year. Once Sheila went into labor, I think he was pushing as much as Sheila was. It is evident how passionate Ralph was about his golf!!!
Ralph and I began our golf partnership at South Shore...and carried it on for some 27 years at Cherry Hill...Competitive...you bet!!!
(Team championship pro-am 1980..3 time 2 man champions.)
In May of 1978 Ralph and Carol were married. Sheila and I were honored to be a part of their special day!!
Over the years, along with Jim and Kathy, we had many a memorable trip across the pond to Toronto for over nighters. The first trip with Ralph and Carol was most memorable. Ralph had brought a new suit with him (not checking to see if the alteration were completed) Who would!!! He was to meet Frank Christie, a trainer with the Sabres at the time, to get our tickets for the game. Carol made some alterations with safety pins to the suit...Ralph was furious because she didn't check the suit before we left Buffalo. Carol, I remember something about "Mr. Christie you make good cookies." Actually that is what Sheila and Carol said as he started to write a thank you note to Mr Christie... Ralph did not find any humor in the whole situation but he got over it very quickly as he always did.
How could we forget Christmas in July at the hose in Crystal Beach they owned......it started out as a Saturday night only and as the years went on it turned out to be a 3 night get away!!! Marty and Jean in the Honeymoon Suite.....All the decorations!!!!The Elvis tunes..oh my god!!!! I am sure many of you can recall the Elvis tunes....Jimmy in his cape...Marty telling Ralph...I think that song is definitely a top 10 favorite. We shared many a Super bowl party...although "wide right" certainly dampened our spirits. I can still remember those super bowl dinners Carol would make. It took me a long time to figure out why Carol would want to stay home and take care of us...she had as much fun as us.(laughing all the time at our antics)
Hoppers!!!!What memories...On our familiar Friday nights together. 35+ years together. I could listen to Ralph, Jimmy and Marty talk about every sport. Argue you bet......As I recall none of them were ever wrong....each one was always right!!!
I could go on and on about the many special memories our family has of Ralph as I am sure many of you could.
He was there for me when my sister Jeannie passed as well as when my Mom died. He is Maggies's Godfather..a role he took very seriously. The Godfather and The Goddaughter....special memories.
With that... Let us raise a glass and toast a dear friend!!!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY PARTNER!!!! THANK YOU FOR YOUR FRIENDSHIP.......
Carol DelBello
October 29, 2008
To ALL family, friends, and business associates,
You have all been so very kind and generous with your feelings and memories of Ralph. If you would like to post again or contact me please do so, don't be uncomfortable because this helps me. I love all the memories everyone has of Ralph, please share them. As you can see the family has paid to have this guest book maintained online for a full year. I look forward to hearing from anyone who wishes to contact me. Thank you.
Chris Conrad
October 24, 2008
Ralph’s favorite recording artist was Elvis. An Elvis song will forever bring Ralph into vivid focus for me. Somehow, a line from a Garth Brooks tune keeps running through my head. It goes something like this, “I could have missed the pain; but then I’d have had to miss the dance”.
My dance with Ralph began 30 years ago when he married my younger sister, Carol. I remember their wedding day. It was a warm Saturday. My husband, John, our four children and myself rushed home from work to get to the justice of the peace office where the ceremony took place. We didn’t have time to change from our work clothes. We grabbed a box of instant rice and ran out the door. I remember laughing at the look of surprise on both their faces. They thought no one would be there. That was Ralph’s welcome into our family, four grubby children and two unkempt adults, pelting him with rice. I still smile at the thought of instant rice for what seemed an instant wedding.
At first, I loved Ralph because Carol loved him and you could see his love for her when he looked at her. As I got to know him better, I loved Ralph for the man he was. Ralph knew about unconditional love. He didn’t judge you for anything. He welcomed us into his family. He included us in so many of the milestones of his life. He is a large part of the events in our family as well. Births, weddings, deaths and everything in between. We witnessed and shared all this together. He shared his love openly and gave of himself without asking anything in return.
I remember summers at the beach house, baseball tickets practically behind home plate, hockey games, great family get-togethers at Easter, his Ho! Ho! Ho! at Christmas. The list goes on and on.
Ralph was not a saint. He made mistakes as we all do. He could get mad but he knew how to forgive and forget. He knew how to have a good time. Just ask anyone who knew him. He was a wonderful, warm, caring person.
I always called Ralph my favorite brother-in-law. He always responded by calling me his favorite sister-in-law. In truth, it felt more like he was my brother. There was always a hug and a kiss when we greeted. He made me feel important to him. I like to think I am a better person for having Ralph in my life. His example has given me a blueprint for a life well lived. I will miss his physical presence. When I close my eyes, I can still see the twinkle in his eyes. I can see the smile meant just for me. I can feel the kiss that always accompanied that great hug. He will always be in my heart.
Yes, I could have missed the pain of his exit, but I am very glad I didn’t miss the dance that was his life.
Ralph, I miss you, I love you, Thank you for an all too short 30 year dance.
Your favorite sister-in-law, Chris
Kenny & Sherry Campbell
October 16, 2008
Dear Carol & Family
Carol, Your husband was the greatest,and was always so grateful and appreciative of us, treated us more like family than customers, I am so very sorry for your loss, If there is anything Kenny and I can do please don't hesitate to call, you have my #,You & your family will forever be in our prayers. God Bless you & yours, Kenny & Sherry
Conor Casey
October 15, 2008
Dear Carol and Family,
Ralph was the best.
Always the gentleman, great golfer.
I will miss him.
Darline Imes
October 11, 2008
Carol and family, you all have my sincere condolences for the loss of your loved one. Ralph was a wonderful person and will be missed by the community. May God keep his loving arms around you all through this difficult time. Darline Imes
October 10, 2008
Hi Carol -
I just found out about Ralph's passing. My deepest sympathies for you and your family.
Joe Jerge
Mulberry Cafe
Deb Rennicks
October 9, 2008
Hi, my name is Deb and I’m Carol’s niece and Ralph’s favorite niece. He called all of us his favorite niece. And we always called him our favorite uncle.
It’s interesting how each of us see Ralph in a different way.
His brother and sister have all of their memories of their childhood and growing up on Chamberlin Drive with Chester and Mary. Every day things like playing in the snow, torturing each other as children and having nicknames like Queen.
We found out how musically gifted Ralph was, a talent passed down from his mother, Mary. How he could play the piano and had a beautiful singing voice.
In his last days, Ralph continued to sing. Two songs he sang for us were “God Bless America” and the theme song from the television show, Maverick. Riverboat ring your bell! Fare-the-well Annabelle!
I’m sure that most of you know what a huge fan Ralph was of Elvis Presley. At most of the gatherings, an Elvis song was playing. Carol’s song with Ralph was “The Wonder Of You”. Marietta danced with her dad at her wedding to “Bridge Over Troubled Water”. A couple of Ralph’s favorites were “Mary In The Morning” and “You Gave Me A Mountain”. And can anyone forget the picture of Jim and Kenny wearing the black and white Elvis “cape”?
Do you know what an ear worm is? It’s when a song gets stuck in your head and you just can’t get it out. That’s the Maverick song for me. I wake up hearing it. I like it though because every time I hear it, I think of Ralph. It’s the same thing with ANY Elvis song. Whenever I hear it, I think of Ralph and I just have to smile.
His friends Jim and Kenny have the memories of his school years and growing into young men together. Of attending dances and going out with friends and having fun. His friends remember all the stories that turned Ralph into the man he became.
His children, David and Marietta, see the man who raised them and is Papa to their children. Delphine shared how proud and thrilled Ralph was when each of his children was born. He was so happy as both of them found someone to share their lives with and got married. And you can’t imagine how proud he was as each of his grandchildren was born.
Every year at Thanksgiving, we would go around the table and say what we were most thankful for that year. The Thanksgiving after Violet and Lily were born, Ralph was so happy that Marietta and the girls were healthy. That was what he was most thankful for that year, his family being safe and sound.
I enjoyed hearing about when Ralph met my Aunt Carol. He told his sister that he didn’t think he could ever be this happy again. Ralph found someone to share that happiness with for over 30 years. Early in their relationship, Ralph and Carol went to Toronto with their friends Kenny and Sheila. While walking to a Sabres game there, he told her “Don’t quit on me” and she never did.
Carol’s family was lucky enough to share their happiness. From my first clear memory of throwing rice at their wedding, to being with them in Hospice. He always called Carol’s mother, Alice, his favorite mother-in-law. He always made sure that he came to Grandma’s birthday party every August. This year, his brother-in-law, Al, had a special ceremony. Remember, we didn’t know how sick Ralph was but Al did something really great.
The family hadn’t been to Al’s since the previous year and we all stood around admiring the new patio and walkway by his house. There was ribbon across the walkway entrance and we were all wondering why it was there. And then Al announced an official ribbon cutting for Ralph Way. Ralph used to get his shoes muddy when he walked around the side of the house so Al had the walkway installed. We have pictures of the ribbon cutting and I don’t think Ralph’s smile could’ve have been any bigger. We had a sign made. It’s very simple and it was placed at the beginning of the walkway. It’s only a short walk, but that walk brings us closer to Ralph.
Ralph was a huge sports fan. He loved to play and watch all kinds of sports. We knew never to make noise or ask stupid questions when the game was on. His friends’ children called him uncle also. You didn’t need to be blood to be part of his family. He shared his knowledge of sports with the nephews. He gladly gave advice that could improve your golf game but you couldn’t expect him to let you win. Ralph was very competitive as his many friends from Cherry Hill can tell us. But he was also willing to get a game together just to play for fun.
He was also very generous. I don’t know how many of us got to go to countless baseball or hockey games. If Ralph couldn’t use the tickets, they always called one of us to go. Or the many times we all spent at the house in Crystal Beach. Many of us have stories about Ralph offering help whenever he could. When I moved out of state several years ago, he wanted to make sure I knew that if I ever needed anything, all I had to do was call him. And I knew he meant it.
Marietta brought a bottle of Johnny Walker Blue to the memorial dinner. Ralph was a Johnny Walker man, after all. Marietta had given him the bottle years ago as a thank you gift for something Ralph had done for her. He never drank it though. Marietta felt it would be appropriate if she shared that bottle with her dad’s family. Every one of us, including the children, had a drink of that Scotch. We raised a glass in a toast to Ralph. I hope Ralph had his own glass and raised it with us.
Each of us experienced Ralph in a different way…as a son, brother, father, husband, friend and favorite uncle. In the hospital, Uncle Ralph kept saying Thank you. I don’t know what he was thanking me for, but I do know I want to say thank you to Ralph. For sharing his knowledge, his generosity, his ability to make you feel like you were the most important thing to him, but most of all his love. We need to keep our memories alive by continuing the traditions that Ralph was so much a part of. The Thanksgiving Blessing, the Easter Ham and all the other little things we did together as a family.
Ralph passed away just before the Bills game started on Sunday. I like to think that he watched the game from the best seat in the house with no interruptions, cheering the team on to another victory.
We love you Uncle Ralph and we’ll miss you. But, when we think of you, it will be with the many wonderful memories we have of you.
Heather Jarmuz
October 3, 2008
After the service today, I couldn't help myself not to put something in here, so here goes...
I will always remember the days of being watched by both Aunt Carol and Uncle Ralph. How he'd always call me "trouble", and how I'd play for hours with the magna-doodle. And then when my sister Nicci was born, she became "trouble 2." And Easters... it's something that's been mentioned a couple of times in here already, but there are some truly unforgettable memories from over the years. I'll always remember walking into Del-Mar with my parents and getting a sucker and sitting in the back room. I'll always remember going to Aunt Nonie's with you and Aunt Carol to go swimming. I'll always remember watching the Masters with you and my dad. I'll always remember Beyer Place. I cannot thank you enough for letting that home be the place I grew up.
Every word that was said at the service was 100% true about you, Uncle Ralph. You truly were a remarkable man, and I just wish that I could have seen you more as I grew up. Not saying I am a grown up yet... I will always be trouble. Thank you so much for everything. You will truly be missed and always, always, always in our hearts.
Chrissy O'Keeffe (Bugman)
October 3, 2008
Dear Mrs. DelBello, Sissy and David,
Mr. DelBello was such a special part of my childhood. I will never forget the sleepovers, New Years Eve parties and of course Crystal Beach. Although I had not seen him in a number of years I remembered him fondly and always will. Please know that you are in our thoughts and prayers.
Love,
October 3, 2008
Ralph Way Established August 2008
October 3, 2008
Ralph and PITA
October 2, 2008
Danielle Rennicks
October 2, 2008
I realize Uncle Ralph was an important part of our family. He was always there, even at craft day (GIRLS ONLY! hahalol.), and especially at Easter. My new greatest memory is of how surprised he was when I told him that the Lancaster Marching Redskins (the band I'm in) got first place- a week before.
I've decided not to mourn his passing, but to celebrate all the happy memories that the whole family has shared with him.
Love you, Uncle Ralph! We will miss you!
Easter 2008
October 2, 2008
Thanksgiving 2007
October 2, 2008
Ralph Carving Our Easter Ham 2008
October 2, 2008
October 2006
October 2, 2008
Easter 2008
October 2, 2008
Ralph and Carol Thanksgiving 2007
October 2, 2008
Joe Petryk
October 2, 2008
Carol,
My deepest sympathy on the passing of Ralph. I will miss our business discussions. His golf advice always helped my miserable game. The "Gate" will seem empty
Paul Alico
October 2, 2008
Dale and Family,
I will always remember the great times we had in the finished basement at your home on Chamberlin Drive. Especially your wonderful Mom & Dad, as well as Ralph and Delphine. My sincere condolences for the loss of your brother.
Aunt Sharon's Birthday Party @ Como park
October 1, 2008
Easter 2005
October 1, 2008
Easter 2004
October 1, 2008
@ Niagara Falls 2003
October 1, 2008
@ Niagar Falls 2003
October 1, 2008
Billl O'Bry
October 1, 2008
Carol
I am so glad we came home Oct.2006 and Bill finally got to meet Ralph. We will miss him very much. Even though we didn't spend much time together, it was like knowing Ralph my whole life. We love you.
Sharon & Bill (Inglis,Fl.)
Faliero Family
October 1, 2008
Carol & Family,
Sorry to hear about Ralph, He was a great man he will be greatly missed. our prayers and thoughts are with you and your family .
Our deepest sympathies.
Roger and Pat Keller
October 1, 2008
Roger and I want to extend our sympathy to the whole family for your loss. We will miss seeing Ralph at Cherry Hill on Wed. evenings.
Alvin M. Kolb
October 1, 2008
Ralph was like the brother I don't have. From the first time I met him, he showed the character and generosity that anyone who knows him will recognize. He has always been so good to my sister and the best outside influence our family has ever had. I am eternally grateful to Raph and will miss him always, but especially every April. Thank-you Ralph !
Deb Rennicks
September 30, 2008
Ralph was a true gentleman. He always made each of us feel like we were the most important thing to him. We were all his "favorite" niece and we told him he was our favorite uncle.
Until the end, he thought of his family. He knew that his great-niece had a band competition Saturday night and that Carol wanted to go to it. It meant so much to us that Ralph remembered.
Our family is poorer with his passing. Easter won't be the same without Ralph there to take care of the ham.
All I can say is "YIPPEE!!!" and "God Bless America!".
And Thank you for not Throwing me out!
Linda Hosken
September 30, 2008
Ralph was a wonderful man. He was a true friend to my dad (Marty Leslie) and my son Matt's first boss! I just smile when I sit back and think of the many nights out we all had at Hoppers and Doc Sullivans. We had some great meaningful conversations, and I will always remember those wonderful times. He will be truly missed.
Ribbon Cutting for Ralph Way
September 30, 2008
Chuck Osborne
September 30, 2008
Dale and Family--It is such a long time since the Chamberlin Drive gang was together. I still remember all the fun we had with you and Ralph playing ball in the street etc. Please accept my sincere condolances to you and your entire family.
William Lyons
September 30, 2008
We will miss Ralph on 'The Hill" and at the Walter Travis Society. He was in every sense of the word a gentleman. His laugh, his smile will be missed.
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