Ralph Freeman Agee

Ralph Freeman Agee, 91, passed away during surgery after having suffered a broken hip and pneumonia Wednesday, May 14, 2008, at Sierra Vista Hospital. He had been suffering from dementia and Alzheimer's Disease since 2002.

He was born Ralph Hugh Votaw in Long Beach to Lillian "Irene" Freeman and Roy Votaw and grew up in Bakersfield. After his mother's death from the Spanish Influenza epidemic in 1918, and a few years later when his stepfather, James Agee died, he was raised by his maternal grandparents, Mr. & Mrs. Fred Freeman.

Ralph married Ruby Ellen Lowder in 1938. They were married 45 years until her death in December 1983 of Lou Gherig's Disease (ALS).

Ralph worked for the U.S. Government Services under Herbert Hoover Jr., and the U.S. Army during World War II as a civilian contractor. He repaired radar up and down the Pacific Coast after President Truman rescinded his draft into the U.S. Navy.

After 34 years he retired in 1979 after having worked for CBS both in Delano, Calif., where they ran the Voice of America (VOA) station, and in Hollywood as an electrical engineer in television studios.

In 1962, after 25 years of marriage, Ralph and Ruby built a vacation home in Morro Bay when they found out they were expecting their third child - at ages 46 and 40.

Since Ruby's death he enjoyed traveling in his RV, volunteering for the Morro Bay Salvation Army, and the California State Training Institute (CSTI) at Camp San Luis, as well as participating in the yearly Diablo Canyon siren test as a HAM Radio Operator (W6ZEK). He had enjoyed amateur radio since he was a teenager. He had also been a member of the San Luis Obispo Elks and Moose Lodges.

For over 20 years, Ralph was a regular attendee of the 39 Plus Dance Club in Morro Bay and the Fiddlers Dance group in Arroyo Grande. He had been very active with the local political group Advocates for a Better Community (ABC).

Ralph leaves behind his daughter, Brenda; two grandchildren Logan and Kira-Lani; and many friends and family.

Ralph is preceded in death my his wife, Ruby; daughter, Leona "Margo" in 1959, 19, while a nursing student in Los Angeles; a baby boy in 1961; and his half-brother, Jack Agee of Colorado Springs, Colo.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests any donations be made in his memory to the Morro Bay Salvation Army, P.O. Box 1073 Morro Bay, CA 93443.