Ralph Bearce

Ralph Eugene Bearce

December 14, 1919 ~ May 31, 2017

Ralph Eugene Bearce, 97, left his earthly home on Wednesday, May 31, 2017. He passed peacefully, surrounded by his loving family.

Ralph was born on December 14, 1919 in Grand Junction, Colorado, the youngest of four children born to David Robert Bearce and Hulda Ellen Lull. He was raised by his father and stepmother, Fanny Mae Sears. He married the love of his life, Louise Mahany, on September 21, 1940 in Green River, Utah. Together they moved to Ogden, Utah to raise their family. After 75 years of marriage, Louise passed away in March of 2016. After she was gone, his heart was never the same.

As a child of Depression-era America, Ralph learned the value of hard work very early in life. At the age of 13, he and his brother Robert were left to winter the 600-acre family homestead alone while his father took the family to work in a nearby town. School was a luxury for time between crops, and he grew to adulthood working for various ranchers and farmers. In the fall of 1940, he was recruited to the Denver and Rio Grand Western Railroad as a machinists apprentice where he learned the skills he would use later in his career as a machinist at Hill Air Force Base.

During World War II, Ralph served his country as a seaman in the Navy.

Ralph loved the outdoors and treasured his time hunting and fishing with his sons and picnicking with his wife and daughters. He never missed a deer season, and won bragging rights when, at 96 years of age, he shot his deer within fifteen minutes of sunrise on opening morning. He always had hopes for one more hunting season and the stories it would bring.

Of all the wonderful qualities Ralph possessed, his devotion to his wife, children, and extended family was the most evident. He worked tirelessly, whether at work or at home, to make their lives easier. He was warm-hearted and constant, a source of strength for his family in a changing world. In his later years, his beautiful garden became the means of giving as he shared vegetables, flowers, and homemade grape juice with friends and family.

He may have been a man of few words, but his actions spoke volumes to those around him.

Ralph is survived by his children: son, Donald (Sandra) Bearce; daughters Charlotte (Larry) Beeson and Roberta (Lew) Wheelwright; 17 grandchildren, 30 great-grandchildren, and four great-great-grandchildren.

He was preceded in death by his parents; his brothers, Robert and John Dorville; his sister, Ayvonne; step-sisters Edith and Ethel; his son, Robert; and grandchildren Jody Wheelwright and Skye Peterson.

Graveside services will be held on Friday, June 9, 2017 at 11 a.m. at Lindquist Memorial Gardens of the Wasatch, 1718 Combe Road. Friends may visit with family on Friday from 9:15-10:15 a.m. at Lindquist’s Ogden Mortuary, 3408 Washington Blvd.