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Ralph Chambers died of esophageal cancer on Jan. 16, 2023. He died peacefully in Parkersburg, West Virginia, surrounded by his family. Ralph was born in Parkersburg in 1938, the youngest of three children and only son of Roscoe and Lula Chambers.
He graduated from Parkersburg High in 1956 and attended Marietta College. His career included thirty productive and enjoyable years in the Technical Department at Borg-Warner Chemicals, followed by ten very unproductive and unenjoyable years in the Technical Department at GE Plastics.
Ralph's interests were many and included nine years as a youth baseball commissioner in north Parkersburg and three as President of the PHS Band Boosters. He also enjoyed his time as a Salvation Army volunteer. In his younger years, his hobbies included skydiving, golf, and aerobics. More recently, he enjoyed cruising area roads on his Harley; studying history, economics and chemistry; visiting battlefields in America and Europe with cherished friends; and reading and writing letters to the editor of The Parkersburg News and Sentinel.
Ralph was married to Carole Judith Dinsmore. They had four children: Mike Chambers (Becky) of Murrells Inlet, SC; Peter Chambers (Alison) of Charleston, WV; Karrie Ortiz (Mike) of Garland, TX; and Cathie Crawford (Doug) of Friendswood, TX. Those children gave Ralph and Carole eight grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren (with one more on the way). To paraphrase Ted Kennedy, we think our Dad should be remembered as a good and decent man. He saw wrong and tried to right it; he saw ignorance and tried to teach it; and he saw stupidity and tried to stop it.
He is survived by all of his children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. He is also survived by his lovable Siamese cats, Cooper and Lulu.
Ralph was preceded in death by Carole, his wife and soul-mate for 55 years. He was also preceded in death by his parents and both older sisters, Connie Trostle of Harrisburg, PA, and Barbara Robinson of Columbus, Ohio.
Ralph's ashes will be interred at a future date beside his wife in Mt. Olivet cemetery. Private graveside services will be attended only by family and several old friends.