Ralph F. Leon, age 85, of Fillmore, passed away peacefully on March 26, 2011 at Fillmore Convalescent Center surrounded by his loving wife and family.

Ralph was born on Sept. 19, 1925 in Los Angeles to Gabriel C. Leon and Nicolasa Z. Frias. A product of local schools, Ralph graduated from Fillmore High in 1943. Soon after graduating high school Ralph became a member of the U.S. Army Air Corps serving honorably during WWII in the Pacific Theatre from Oct. 11, 1943 until Aug. 1, 1945. Returning home from the war Ralph continued his education and attended Ventura College and received an Associates Degree in 1949. He then went on to receive his Bachelors Degree in civil engineering from the University of Southern California in 1952. All of his education prepared him for his position as a senior bridge engineer, having retired in 1989 after 37 years of service.

Our father enjoyed coordinating family functions, especially our annual family reunions. He was an avid traveler. He traveled all over the United States, Europe, Mexico, Canada and Africa. Our father was a lector for St. Sebastian Catholic Church in Santa Paula as well as a parishioner of the church and that of St. Francis of Assisi Church in Fillmore. He enjoyed watching sports, especially USC Trojans, and building projects. His memberships included the VFW, Knights of Columbus, Optimist, Oddfellows, Toastmasters and California Parlimentarians.

He is survived by his wife, Rosemary Hernandez Leon; son and daughter-in-law, Ralph S. Leon Jr. and family; son and daughter-in-law, Gabriel and Cecilia Leon; son and daughter-in-law, Gilbert and Marguerite Leon; daughter, Susanne D. Leon; daughter and son-in-law, Patricia and Manuel Torrez; son and daughter-in-law, Jose Luis and Irma Hernandez; his sisters, Eva and Larry Diaz and family, Lupe Ramos and family; brother, Jess Leon and family; 22 grandchildren; 15 great-grandchildren. Ralph was preceded in death by his sister, Elena Canchola, and brother, Elias F. Leon.

Funeral Services Honoring the Life of Ralph F. Leon will begin at 9:30 a.m. on Thursday, March 31, with the recitation of the rosary followed by the mass of Christian burial at St. Francis of Assisi Church, 1048 W. Ventura St., Fillmore. Committal and interment will follow at Bardsdale Cemetery. Providing military honors will be the Mercer-Prieto VFW Post 2043 and Korean War Veterans Assoc. Chapter 56. For map and directions to ceremony locations and to sign the familys online guest book, share stories and post pictures, please visit our website: www.mysantapaulafuneralhome.com. Funeral arrangements are under the direction of the Family Owned and Operated Robert Rey Garcia Jr. Funeral Svcs., Santa Paula, 229-7054.

To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.

Published by Ventura County Star from Mar. 29 to Apr. 1, 2011.

Memories and Condolences
for Ralph Leon

10 Entries

Joey Morales

April 8, 2011

Jesse, Ralph Jr, Gabriel, Gilbert, and the entire Leon Family,

It saddens me to hear of the loss of your Brother, Husband & Patriarch. Although Ralph lived a long and prosperous life he will clearly be missed by all who knew,loved, and enjoyed his company.
Ralph was a great friend to my late Uncle, Leon Preciado, therefore, there was an honored respect for our elders and surely for Ralph and Jesse. Ralph Jr. & Gabriel was whom I connected with while I worked in the oil industry and at that time I was introduced to Jesse, who was always
a riot and a pleasure to talk to.
I realize the right words are always difficult to provide during the passing of a cherished one, therefore I will end by saying that when a member of the family passes, it is always the heart that suffers most, therefore, my prayers will be for the healing of the hearts of all who knew and loved Ralph Sr. as he will be truly and dearly missed.

Allan & Sandy Horn

April 1, 2011

A fine man went to the Lord when he called.Our condolences to the Leon family
and friends. He will be missed but we know he's happy with God.

Susie Mejia(Perez)

April 1, 2011

To Lupe and Jess and the rest of the Leon family, my deepest sympathy at this time of sadness. I know you will all miss him very much.

Matthias J. Gonzales

March 30, 2011

My prayer are with you all in this time of need and in the many long days ahead. God bless you all.

Henry and Alice Guevara

March 30, 2011

To our good Friend Rosemary and Family. Please accept our condolences for the passing of Ralph,a great Husband,Father, and Grandfather. There are no words to express the sadness it brings to all our hearts. God be with your Family and bring you Comfort. With all sincerity, Henry and Alice Guevara and Family.

Leah Salazar-Brown

March 30, 2011

May your hearts soon be filled with wonderful memories of joyful times together as you celebrate a life well lived.

March 30, 2011

" My deepest sympathy for the Leon family. Another of "The Greatest Generation" is gone , but never to be forgotten. It was a pleasure to have known Ralph, a true gentleman. Rest in peace comrade.
Tony Vasquez jr

March 29, 2011

WE sent a message earlier, but think it disappeared when we tried to edit. We do want to send our condolances to all of you.
Ralph was a fine gentleman and we both enjoyed working with hime on VFW and other projects. We valued and his friendship very much.
Carl & Cathy Barringere

Robert & Josie Salas

March 29, 2011

Our deepest sympathy for the Leon family. I guess everyone who knew Ralph considered him a friend. We saw in him a man of great moral character and a role model for young people in our area. He represented Fillmore and Santa Paula well and he will be missed. May God continue to give you strength as we all know he is with God.

Richard Pinedo

March 29, 2011

My deepest sympathy goes out to the Leon Family. Especially for Mre. Leon and my best friend(brother)Gabe. The last couple of days I've been remembering the good times we had at the ranch. Mr. and Mrs. Leon were always nice to us(Larry, Johnel and me), even though we were idiots. I will miss a man that I looked up to when I was growing up. Mr. Leon was the perfect human being. Great Husband, Great Father, Great Friend and Great Citizen. Ralph you will be missed by many people.

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