RALPH HARTLEY

RALPH LEVERING HARTLEY  
Ralph Levering Hartley, 59, of Rockville, MD, passed away peacefully from complications of lymphoma on Wednesday, June 14, 2017. Ralph was born in Boston, MA in 1958 but grew up and lived in Maryland most of his life. He earned a bachelor's degree in Mathematics from the University of Rochester and a Ph.D. in Computer Science in 1984 from the University of Maryland College Park where he met his devoted wife, Tsai-Hong Hong. He worked for over 30 years at the Naval Research Laboratory performing research in robotics and computer vision. He is survived by his loving wife of 34 years, Tsai-Hong Hong, his children Stephen and Iris, their spouses, Maya and Seth, his grandson, Kaien, his mother, Dorothy, and his brothers, Henry and George, and their families. He was predeceased by his father, Bob, and his brother, Albert. Ralph was an avid caver and world traveler who spent weekends mapping and exploring caves in West Virginia and vacations visiting 41 countries with his wife, family, and friends. He was a life-long learner and tinkerer who read physics textbooks and Science magazine in his spare time. He was a devoted husband and beloved father, son, and brother whose sarcastic humor and wealth of knowledge and experience will be deeply missed. Friends and family are welcome to visit at the home of Henry and Cathy Hartley for a celebration of his life on Saturday, July 15 any time from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. In lieu of flowers, please consider a contribution to The Leukemia And Lymphoma Society atlls.org.