Ralph W. Boroff

Ralph slipped away, late in the evening of January 30, 2026, peacefully, at home. His wife, DeAnne, was by his side, softly whispering how deeply he was loved.

Ralph was diagnosed with Stage 4 Metastatic Lung Cancer on Christmas Eve 2025. He was loath to burden anyone with news of his diagnosis over the holiday season. Ralph still wanted to reach out to friends and family one more time. He was denied that opportunity when his cancer became devastatingly aggressive.

The youngest of three children, and only son, Ralph grew up in Avenal, California. Ralph's father, Earl, worked as the local Postmaster. His mother, Austine, was the small-town, high school secretary. Life-long best friends were forged in Avenal. Ralph attended every high school class reunion. Stories of teenage antics, with his fellow Buccaneers, were legendary. While attending high school, Ralph was "Selected Best Leader." He was "Mr. Student Body President." In 1969, Ralph participated in ROTC Summer Camp at Fort Lewis Washington. He watched the Apollo 11 moon landing on a small, black and white TV, with many other ROTC Cadets. Ralph became a Captain in the U.S. Army, having served as a Reservist in the Army Corps of Engineers.

Ralph graduated from UC Berkeley in 1970, and from UCLA Law in 1973. In August of 1974, he came to work as one of six Assistant District Attorneys in Santa Cruz. During the ensuing 10 years, he prosecuted several high profile cases, including a number of murder trials.

In 1984, he left the District Attorneys Office to work for Melvin Belli's firm, doing criminal defense, plaintiff's personal injury and defective medical products cases.

By 1987, he joined with Robert H. Ludlow, Jr., and remained in associated practice with Ludlow, and others, until fully-retired in 2022. He described himself as "Attorney (Retired), Raconteur, Bon Vivant."

In 2010, Ralph took great pride in representing the Santa Cruz Veterans Council, when the downtown Veterans Memorial Building was closed. County leaders deemed it seismically unsound. A jury found Santa Cruz County negligent in its obligation to accommodate local veterans. Attorney Boroff presented his arguments with three local veterans sitting at his side. The Veterans Memorial Building remains open today, serving the community. Every Thanksgiving, Ralph gathered donations, volunteered, and rounded up turkey carvers for the annual Santa Cruz Veterans Thanksgiving Community Dinner.

Ralph took his last drink on June 16, 1990. He often shared his personal experience as an attorney who struggled with alcoholism for over 30 years before achieving long-term sobriety. He gave MCLE seminars about the higher incidence of substance abuse among attorneys, advocating for support from The Other Bar, as well as Alcoholics Anonymous.

Ralph valued community service. Over the years he sat on several Boards, including Janus of Santa Cruz Foundation; The Santa Cruz County Land Trust; Santa Cruz Symphony; and the Jazz Society of Santa Cruz County. He was previously active in Team and Training fundraising for the benefit of the Leukemia Lymphoma Society. He was a passionate supporter of the Democratic Party, and rallied to support the values of the United States Constitution. To come full circle, he enjoyed volunteering his time, coaching high school students in Mock Trial Competitions.

Ralph led a multi-faceted life. He enjoyed bringing friends together for breakfast and a card game. He loved to salmon fish in the Monterey Bay, San Juan Islands, Alaska and Canada. He enjoyed going to live-music concerts, once scoring tickets to see The Rolling Stones. He was a musician, forming saxophone group, "Casual Sax." They could be heard playing at the annual Wharf to Wharf foot race, or on the downtown Santa Cruz Pacific Garden Mall. Later, he enjoyed playing music with the Cayuga Street Jazz Band, and with the Jazz Society of Santa Cruz County. Ralph studied musicianship, for at least a decade, with local virtuoso, Dale Mills. Ralph was, indeed, a student of music at Cabrillo College, performing with jazz ensembles and the concert band.

And then, there was DeAnne. Ralph and DeAnne began dating in 2005, marrying on Valentine's Day 2009, on the Island of Kauai. Ralph and DeAnne enjoyed traveling the world, often returning to Hawaii for wedding anniversary trips. DeAnne heavily mourns losing the love of her life, but will always be grateful for the 21 years they shared together.

Ralph leaves his beloved wife, DeAnne M. Boroff; his daughter, Nicole Boroff, and her mother, Linda; his step-son, Aaron Kinda; his brother-in-law, Gary White; nephew, Greg White (Tess), and their children; his niece, Deborah Bowers (David), and their son. Ralph is survived by a handful of cousins, including Robert Kaufman (Bernadette Crofton), who is more like his brother. Ralph is also survived by dozens of friends and colleagues who became extended family members.

Ralph is preceded in death by his parents, Earl and Austine Boroff; and his sisters, Linda (Boroff) White and Patricia Boroff.

A Celebration of Life will be planned for this Spring. As one of Ralph's final wishes, it will include a New Orleans funeral march, followed by jazz tunes, inviting mourners to remember Ralph's enthusiastic love of life.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Jazz Society of Santa Cruz County, Santa Cruz Symphony, or the Santa Cruz Veterans Thanksgiving Community Dinner.