Ralph Bishop

Commander Ralph Marion Bishop

(D.C.) U.S. Navy

Died on Monday, October 18, 2010, at the United States Veteran's Medical Center in Palo Alto, California. He was 89. Dr Bishop was born in New Britain, Connecticut, on May 22, 1921. He graduated from Yale University in 1942 and from the University of Maryland's Baltimore College of Dental Surgery in 1945. His postgraduate work at the Naval Medical Center Navy Dental School, Bethesda, Maryland and the Naval Hospital, St Albans, New York was in Oral Surgery. He married Norma Jeanne Hensler on November 3, 1945.

Dr Bishop's long distinguished military career included service with three branches of the armed forces. He was with the Army's 657 Engineer's Battalion in Yong Dong Po, Korea, shortly after the end of World War II. He served with the Marines at the Dental Clinic at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot in San Diego, California; the Naval Dental Clinic at the Marine Corps Base, Camp Pendleton, California; and the third Marine Division, F.M.F., in Okinawa.

He served aboard the U.S.S. Leyte (CV-32); the U.S.S. Taconic (AGC-17); the submarine tender U.S.S. Fulton (AS-11). He was assigned to the Boston Naval Shipyard; the U.S. Naval Base, Brooklyn, New York; the Dental Clinic at Guam's Naval Base, Mariana Islands; the Naval Submarine Base, New London, Connecticut; and the Naval Amphibious Base in Little Creek, Virginia.

Dr. Bishop retired from the Navy in July 1967 and became a member of the faculty at Emory University, School of Dentistry, Atlanta, Georgia, where he taught oral diagnoses and radiography. He retired full-time from the Dental School in August, 1982, but continued teaching and practicing dentistry as Professor Emeritus until 1988. His gentle, reassuring approach, along with a meticulous professionalism, aided many who otherwise feared visiting dentists.

Dr. Bishop was a life member of American Radio Relay League. His call sign was AA4DQ. He was president, for many years, of the computer users group, S.M.U.G. (Stone Mountain Users Group), in Atlanta, Georgia.

Dr. Bishop moved to Half Moon Bay, California, in 2008. He is survived by his wife Norma J. Bishop; his daughter Cynthia Bishop Nourse, his son-in-law James G. Nourse, and grandchildren, Thomas G. Nourse and Susan E. Nourse, of Half Moon Bay, California; his brother Dr. Leonard J. Bisaccia and niece Fay Marie Bisaccia of West Chester, Pennsylvania; his niece Mrs. Jolen Aubin of Meredith, New Hampshire; and cousins Dr. Robert Siliciano of Claremont, California, and Mrs. Beverly Starr of Venice, Florida. He was preceded in death by his son, Ralph Malcolm Bishop of Atlanta, Georgia.

A funeral mass will be held at Our Lady of the Pillar Church, Half Moon Bay, on Friday, October 29th, at 1:00 pm. Donations, in Dr. Bishop's memory, may be made to the veterans-support nonprofit "Coming Home Project", 1801 Bush St., Suite 213, San Francisco, CA 94109 (www.cominghomeproject.net). Miller Dutra Coastside Chapel.