Ralph Edward Dunlap
September 7, 1952 - December, 2016
On behalf of his siblings, Debbie and Julius Rahn Dunlap, I am submitting this obituary to the Reagan Raiders (most especially, to the class of 1971). When Ralph and his wife returned to Texas in April of 2016, they moved near my family and his sister in Little Elm, TX. So, for the last several months we have talked about our childhood in Austin and the memorable times at Reagan. Subsequently, many names have been whispered and tales told of the good times we shared and secrets we hold.
Ralph's funeral will be Wednesday at 10 a.m., at the Morse Street Baptist Church, which is located at 921 Morse Street in Denton Texas. Burial will be conducted at the Central Texas Veterans Cemetery in Killeen on Thursday. On behalf of our family, I thank you for honoring our brother in this "special way". It means more than words could every adequately express and brings us great solace that others remembered him and loved him as well. Again, thank you and blessings to all and your families.
Carolyn Mays Mohair and Julius Rahn Dunlap; both graduates of RHS, class 1973; and our sister Debbie, who graduated from LBJ, class of 1977.
"Not without Honor"
OBITUARY
Ralph Edward Dunlap was born on September 7, 1952 to the parents of Julius and Sarah Dunlap in Austin, Texas. He resided in California, on the beach, from 1975 until he retired and returned home, in April of this year, to be with family.
He was educated within the Austin Independent School District. In 1971 Ralph graduated from J.H. Reagan High where he excelled academically and athletically. The records he set in football and track, many of which remain to this day, earned him a track scholarship to Southwest Texas State University (SWTSU, now Texas State College). His diligent work led to his achieving a pre-qualifier ranking for the Olympics.
Following his studies at SWTS Ralph enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corp and was stationed at Camp Pendleton in San Diego, California and, for several years, in Japan. While serving his country Ralph earned the rank of sergeant and received numerous commendations for leadership, weaponry, and bravery. He received medals for national defense, rifle expertise, and Merit Master. It was while serving in the military Ralph found a new passion for aerospace engineering and, upon his discharge, earned a Master of Aerospace Engineering.
For over 30 years Ralph worked in the private, public, and federal sector of aviation as an inspector, auditor, and instructor. If you have flown on a plane in the last 30 years (and you didn’t crash) you were probably flying on a plane that was inspected by Ralph himself, or by someone he trained to inspect. He was hired as a contractor for NASA to assist in the design and final introduction of special gear and apparel for astronauts. Ralph achieved the Six Sigma Black Belt Training in aerospace engineering {Only a few engineers obtain this highly regarded status). He also chartered a 300 club, a financial planning group among his colleagues to mentor them in investing and savings
Ralph loved dancing and music. Jazz was his genre of choice. In high school he played several instruments and, with his brother Rahn and a few friends, started a band named “The Shadows of Soul”. The band played throughout the Capital City, the Central Texas area, and San Antonio. Additionally, Ralph’s hobbies included dancing, camping, grilling, and living on and spending time by the beach with his wife Rose and their children, family, and friends.
In addition to his devoted wife of 20 years, Rose, and their beautiful children Josh, and Jessica of Huntington Beach, CA; Leslie and Jermaine of Riverside, CA; Jeneen (Robert) of Savannah, GA, Ralph also leaves behind his brother, Julius Rahn Dunlap of Del Valle, TX, sister Debbie (Ray) Marine of Little Elm, TX, and cousin Carolyn (Taft). He also leaves behind 10 adorable grandchildren and 3 great-grandchildren; his beloved aunts, on which he and Rose took pleasuring in spoiling, Bernice Mays of Providence Village, TX and Gloria Galvan of Anaheim, CA.; and a host of family and friends.