Ralph Kendall Curtis

Ralph Curtis, 95, died Monday, Oct. 12, at his home in Sterling Twp., in the same farmhouse where he was raised. His wife of 63 years, the former Marie Allen, died in 2011.

Born in Aldenville, son of the late Francis Curtis Jr. and Letha Crossman Curtis, Ralph was a 1937 graduate of the three-year Sterling High School and a 1938 graduate of Greene-Dreher High School. He spent several years working for his father and other local farmers and loggers, and cutting ice on Gouldsboro Lake, before enrolling in the University of New Hampshire School of Agriculture in 1941.

As a teenager, he became convinced that violence and war were inconsistent with Christ's teachings, so when he was drafted in 1942, Ralph became a conscientious objector. He served four years in Civilian Public Service camps in New York, Ohio and North Dakota, doing forestry and agricultural work. In Wooster, Ohio, Ralph met his future wife, Marie, at a meeting of the Fellowship of Reconciliation.

Later, Ralph earned a degree in biology from Earlham College in Indiana. He spent a year teaching in a one-room school in Delaware County, N.Y., then worked in a sawmill and lumber yard in Millville, before returning to the farm in 1954. He was a dairy farmer until he sold his milking herd in 1971, but continued to raise replacement heifers. In 1960, they took over Journey's End Farm Camp from Marie's parents, and moved it from Honeoye, N.Y., to the farm in Sterling Twp.

As a farmer, Ralph stayed small and chose the work he loved and what was good for the land over economic gain or technological progress. Social progress, however, was important to him, and throughout his life he supported work to promote racial equality, international understanding and environmental responsibility. As a camp director, Ralph was a role model for hundreds of children and youth, inspiring them and their parents with his patience, kindness and strength.

Ralph was a seasoned maple syrup producer, starting in 1934. He was active in the Northeastern PA Maple Producers Association, and was inducted into the American Maple Hall of Fame in 2005. He was a Webelos Scout leader, served on the Western Wayne School Board and the Sterling Cemetery Association, was a 70-plus year member of the Fellowship of Reconciliation and a co-founder of North Branch Friends (Quaker) Meeting.

He is survived by a sister, Bernice Dolan, Montoursville; two brothers, Francis, Sterling Twp.; and Carroll, Harrisburg; a son, Tim and wife, Helena Guindon, Sterling Twp.; a daughter-in-law, Kristin Curtis, Sterling Twp.; five grandsons, Jason and wife, Kristen Suzda, Philadelphia; Ira, Northampton, Mass.; Andrew, Sterling Twp.; Silvio, Los Angeles, Calif.; and Tulio, St. Cloud, Minn.; and his dog, Sandy.

He was also preceded in death by a sister, Evelyn; four brothers, Eugene, Donald, Samuel and Marvin; two sons, Daniel and Carl; a granddaughter, Antonia; and many beloved dogs, especially Molly.

A Quaker memorial service will be held at the Sterling Methodist Church on Saturday, Oct. 24, at 11:30 a.m. Friends may visit with the family between 10:30 and 11:30 a.m. The service will be followed by a potluck meal.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Journey's End Farm Camp Scholarship Fund, 815 Main Street, Honesdale, PA 18431; the Fellowship of Reconciliation, P.O. Box 271, Nyack, NY 10960 or North Branch Friends Meeting, 815 Main Street, Honesdale, PA 18431.

Arrangements by Cremation Society of Pennsylvania Inc.