Ralph Howard Lemmon

Ralph Howard Lemmon died peacefully in the arms of his best friend and wife of 40 years Teresa Lemmon on October 11, 2021 at 76 years of age after a long battle with cancer.

Born July 19, 1945 In Tillsonburg, he lived in Mount Elgin until moving to Woodstock in 1991. Predeceased by his mother Hazel (Martin) Lemmon, father Oliver Lemmon, sister Ruth (Lemmon) Nancekivell and her husband Allan Nancekivell. Survived by his wife Teresa (Loedige) Lemmon, sister Grace (Lemmon) Gray and her husband William (Bill) Gray as well as several nieces and nephews.

This obituary is written by his adoring wife Teresa to give a glimpse of the great man that she was honoured and privileged to love.

These areas of work were most noteworthy to Ralph: Ralph proudly served in the Royal Canadian Regiment where he obtained the rank of Sergeant, he created a trailer park from a wheat field, and he was a travel agency owner. That said, his longest held position was being a full-time teaser of me.

He was a hoarder with a soft spot for dogs, as well as those less fortunate. Ralph was the man who protected the weak and who stood up to bullies. He was a strong, proud man who valued integrity and protected both strangers and those he loved. He was not out to impress people and did not care what people thought of him; what mattered to him was doing the right thing. He was a man of strong character.

Ralph was a romantic ladies’ man who brought joy and love to those he shared
time with. He remained good friends with all of his past girlfriends. He was
however ‘tamed’ after meeting me. When we wed, he said “I am now the most
married man ever.”

Ralph was a wonderful self-sacrificing person who was always there for those he loved. He was mentally strong, self-assured, wise, intelligent, humble, kind, patient and thoughtful. He often threw the game or let others take the spotlight so they could feel good about themselves. After spending time with Ralph people always felt heard, valued, and better about themselves. He genuinely cared for people and put others’ needs before his own. He was a treasured friend and mentor to many… encouraging, listening, and bringing humour and wisdom to uplift them.

Ralph and I were inseparable during our life together: we had an intense passion for each other’s company. We shared a love of travel… already an inveterate traveller as a teen, Ralph had seen the world - then we saw the world together. We enjoyed learning, documentaries, Jeopardy, renovating, carpentry, yard work, and spending time with loved ones. As he grew weaker, we spent much of our time cuddled up revelling in our love.

Ralph however had an inner strength that was astounding. He used his positive attitude to handle his pain. This enabled him to battle numerous serious health concerns for decades all the while seeing the bright side of life, with a happy grateful upbeat disposition. Throughout all of this he never complained, he was always concerned about others and how their life was going.

He is forever cherished and loved, deeper than words can express.

Please continue the love that he shared. Create a life filled with affection, humour, purpose and meaning. Please continue to tell loved ones’ stories. We need never move on from loving the people we love. We keep loved ones alive through their stories. Let them live in our memories and create more kindness, multiplying the lessons that they have taught us.

At Ralph’s request there will be no funeral. The family requests no flowers.  A private internment ceremony will happen on Monday October 18, 2021 and a private celebration of life will take place in the spring by invitation only. 

To share a memory of Ralph or to read more about his life please visit www.brockandvisser.com/obituary/Ralph-Lemmon 

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