Weeks, Ralph Boyd

OBITUARY - WEEKS, RALPH BOYD - ELLIS FAMILY FUNERAL HOME, GROVE, OK

Ralph Boyd Weeks, age 101, died on May 29, 2015 in Joplin, Missouri. Ralph was born on August 10, 1913 in Enterprise, Kansas to George Bausman and Winnona Idella Stratner Weeks. Ralph is the 3rd child of 5 children. 3 boys and 2 girls. He has a basic growing up when he was at home with his family. The moves to different towns was because the Depression and WWII. Later on, the moves were from his life in finding jobs. Some of the places he lived were Enterprise, Parsons, Oswego, Pittsburg, Emporia, Topeka and Wichita, all in Kansas then finally to Grove, Oklahoma. He held several jobs during his life. He drove an ice wagon with two stubborn mules. He broke his big toe when he dropped a big block of ice on his foot. He worked for the highway department of Kansas. He built a bridge, and paved some roads. His father helped him get a job with the chamber of Commerce of Kansas. His father was the president of the Chamber of Commerce of Kansas. Ralph was a 2nd Lt. for the rifle platoon and their leader. He was with the 89th Infantry Division. During WWII, he was a Rifle Platoon Leader of 20 or more men. He led these men into combat. He also lead a mortar platoon into combat. After the war was over, the Army enticed him by raising his rank to 1st Lt. and asking him to stay on 1 year longer in the United States Forces in Austria. They said Lois and Scott could come over and stay also. If he said yes a year from then his rank would go to Captain. Lois said no one had built a bridge to there and she wasn't going to take a ship. Ralph said "no" and come home at the normal time with everyone else. Ralph believed it would have been interesting to live there a year or so but was glad that he said "no". Ralph married Lois Virginia Scott on May 1, 1936. They ran away to Jay, OK and got married at a pastor's house. They were so scared of their parent's comments; they went to their own separate houses for about a week. Finally they got the nerve to tell their parents what they had done. The rest is history. Ralph and Lois were living in Pittsburg, Kansas when their first child was born in 1937. His name was George Scott Weeks. It is a unique name. George is from Ralph's Dad's first name. Scott is from Lois' last name, and Weeks is the family name. Scott got a bachelor degree of Science to teach. He loved meteorology and chemistry. They were thankful he didn't blow the house up. Scot and Lois are deceased. In 1948 Ralph, Lois, and Scott moved to Emporia from Wichita. Two years later a second child was born in 1950. Her name was Marcia Virginia Weeks. They all lived in Emporia for 21 years. She went to school from Kindergarten to tow years of college at the Kansas State Teacher's College, now a Kansas State University. Later on when they all moved to Topeka, she graduatd from a cosmetology school. Ralph worked for the Southwestern Bell Telephone Co. as a manager of the business office. He held several office with different organizations; Lions Club; Salvation Army, Methodist Church, Chamber of Commerce, YMCA and Boy Scouts. Lois had her own interest. She loved ceramics and sewed everything including, underwear to coats, to car seat covers, to professional men's suits. She sewed Marcia's clothes, her doll clothes, and Halloween costumes. She loved Pennsylvania Dutch pating. It seems everything in the house was painted in that style. She loved to cook and was good at it. Ralph and his family moved from their first house in Emporia to a big, face house, he helped build and finish. It was a block from the college. There were six boys living in the basement. They paid the house payment for Ralph. Thirteen people could live in the house at one time. 3 of us upstairs, 6 boys in the basement and my brother and his family of 4 in an apartment on the other side of the basement. Ralph was transferred to Topeka and worked there the last 10 years before he retired. It was a forced retirement at 65 years old. While in Topeka, a fourth grandchild was born, Michael Dennis Cavenah in 1969. Ralph was a forecasting engineer. They called him the fortune teller, he went to certain towns and counted house for new service in the future. Ralph loved to fish, play golf, hunt, raising bees to sell the honey and get stung. Ralph moved to Grove, OK in 1978, that was 37 years ago. He played more golf, worked 15 years at Shangri-La Golf course, and built another house. He had a fast ski boat, so they were on the water a lot. Ralph is one of the few people left that went to the Senior Center when it started at the Community Center in Grove about 30 years ago. Ralph was preceded in death by his parents; his siblings; his wife and his son. He is survived by his daughter Marcia V. Cavenah, one nephew George Elton "Bud" Weeks, four grandchildren George Scott Weeks II, Sherry (Weeks) Sanchez, Stacy Weeks and Michael Dennis Cavenah. Ralph was also blessed with six great grandchildren Lelani Weeks, Lisa Weeks, George Scott Weeks III, Tara (Parker) Banks. Marco Sanchez and Nico Sanchez and four Great-Great Grandchildren; Sonja Wirtz, Tavia Burns, Joshua Cavenah and Peyton Cavenah. Graveside services will be held at 1:00 PM, Wednesday, June 3, 2015 at Buzzard Cemetery in Grove, Oklahoma with Dr. Richard Dayringer officiating. Friends and family may leave online condolences by viewing Ralph's obituary at www.ellisfuneralhome.com. Services are under the direction of Ellis Family Funeral Home of Grove, Oklahoma.

Service Details:  Wednesday, June 3rd, 2015 1:00pm, Buzzard Cemetery

Interment Details:  Buzzard Cemetery