Ralph (known lovingly by his children as Phlar) passed away peacefully at age 95 at the Legacy House Memory Care Center in Farmington, Utah on Sunday, Jan. 8. He was the son of Everett J. and Leah Seely, born in Salt Lake City at Holy Cross Hospital in the same maternity ward and one day earlier than his future wife Marilyn. It was literally love at first sight. Ralph was raised in Salt Lake City, Utah and Butte, Montana and returned to Salt Lake City to attend East High School before enlisting in the Merchant Marines and then the Army where he served as a paratrooper stationed in Japan after WWII. He then returned to Salt Lake City where he studied electrical engineering at the University of Utah for three years. At this time he met Marilyn Duke who was also studying at the U. of U. and they were married in 1949 and remained together for 56 years until her death in 2005.

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“Thousands of comedians are starving in the world and this guy thinks he's funny.”

Ralph worked briefly as an electrician and portrait photographer before beginning his career of 35 years of civil service at Hill Air Force Base in Ogden, Utah, starting as an aircraft mechanic and working his way up to a missile defense engineer. He could fix anything and never hired a mechanic or repairman. Ralph and Marilyn raised seven children, moving to Bountiful, Utah in 1957 where they lived the remainder of their years.

Ralph enjoyed skiing, golfing, photography, camping, music on his father’s handmade hi-fi, bbq and beer, Dick’s doughnuts, and later in life time spent at his trailer in Star Valley, Wyoming, including building and flying model airplanes, as well as traveling the world with his wife and daughters. His dry sense of humor will be missed by all who knew him, including all the nursing assistants he flirted with during his years in assisted living.