Ralph Victor Backstrom

Ralph Victor BACKSTROM 93 years old, was called home to the Lord on December 25th, 2003. Born to Victor E. Backstrom and Frieda (Soderlund) Backstrom on January 24th, 1910 at Gun Junction, a railroad section house near Blackberry Minnesota. Married to Marjorie L. (Gillespie) Backstrom for 48 years (deceased January 1984). Proceeded in death by his brother Victor Backstrom and sister Mildred (Backstrom) Fryce. Ralph is survived by his three sons, - James R. Backstrom of Baltimore, MD.; John M. Backstrom of Redmond, WA.; and Stephen V. Backstrom of Normandy Park, WA. Ralph had eight grandchildren - John M. Backstrom, Jr; Jeff R. Backstrom; Jennifer L. (Backstrom) Deeny; Amy (Backstrom) Murphy; Sara Backstrom; Ingrid Backstrom; Arne Backstrom and Ralph Backstrom. Also survived by eight great-grandchildren - John M. Backstrom, III, Patrick Deeny, Wesley Backstrom, Jessica Deeny, Mara Backstrom, Joseph Deeny, Will Murphy and Caleb Murphy. He is also survived by his sister-in-law Donna Backstrom; and by Helen Sullivan, the love of his life for the past 19 years. Ralph was a wonderful Christian man, deeply loved by all who knew him. He put himself through college trapping fur for Sears-Roebuck and working on grain threshing crews in the summers. After graduating from the University of Minnesota with a degree in Agriculture he taught High School in Carlton Minnesota where he met and married Marge. After a stint in the Department of Agriculture at the University of Minnesota Farm Campus, he was hired by the Public Relations firm of Carl Beyer & Associates to work with regional farmers, co-ops and processors. When World War II broke out Ralph enlisted in the Navy and attended Officers Candidate School at Yale University and was commissioned as a Lieutenant JG and sent to Okinawa to rehabilitate the native population. When there, he survived numerous air and sniper attacks while directing the construction of a sanitary abattoir, fish cannery, fertilizer plant and sanitary human waste system. The native elders bestowed many honors and gifts upon Ralph when he departed. After his return from the Pacific theater at the end of the war, Ralph was hired by the Great Northern Railroad to work with farmers, co-ops and processors to locate plants along the Great Northern line. In October, 1952, Ralph was transferred to Seattle as Western VP of Agriculture and Mineral Development. The family located in the Maple Leaf neighborhood of Seattle and the entire family became active in the Wedgwood Presbyterian church, where Ralph became a respected Elder. Ralph served as the King County Agricultural Extension Agent for over 10 years, again working with regional farmers and doing Farm and Market reports every morning on 6 local radio stations. His hobby during the years was operating his own tree farm near Goldbar, Washington. After ten years with the county he obtained his Real Estate Brokers License and went to work for GreenAcres, Inc. selling raw land and doing timber cruises. He continued as an independent broker into his late eighties. Ralph had a life long interest in gold prospecting and spent every summer for the last 16 years at the Gold Prospectors Association's Cripple River Camp in Nome, Alaska teaching people how to pan and sluice for gold. One of his proudest accomplishments was the construction of the Cripple River Chapel on the shores of the Bering Sea, 12 miles west of Nome. A 20' by 32' structure where miners and locals can attend non-denominational services during the summer months. He was an avid outdoorsman who loved to hunt, fish and ride his Honda 4 wheel ATV. His last duck hunt was in October of 2003 and his final deer hunt was in November of 2003. Ralph was a past president of the Downtown Kiwanis Club with over 50 years of perfect attendance. Ralph requested that no funeral be held; he has been cremated and his ashes will be interred at Acacia Memorial Park, next to Marge's, right across the street from their apartment of 30 years. If you knew Ralph and would like to help commemorate this wonderful mans life, a celebration of his life will be held on January 24th in the Atrium at the Seattle Design Center, 5701 6th Ave. S., Seattle, WA., 98108, at 10:00 a.m., food will be served. If you would like to attend, please call 206-957-1807 and let us know how many people you will have. In lieu of flowers, remembrances can be sent in his name to; The Cripple River Chapel Fund, C/O The Gold Prospectors Assoc., 43445 Business Park Dr., Temecula, CA., 92590. Life Memberships: Kiwanis, NRA, Republican Party, Gold Prospectors Association of America, Lost Dutchmans Mining Assoc., Washington Prospectors Assoc. and he absolutely loved Rush Limbaugh!