"Ralph was one of the players in the Monday Golf Group that I most enjoyed playing with and along with Don Rothwell we played together on his last round. I think of him each time we play with the MGG. and especially when we play the Aguila golf course, being in his group when he made his last hole in one at the 16th par three. He always wanted to play better and and was never satisfied with and poor shots. We will miss him always."
In loving memory of
Ralph Marvin Love
February 11, 1932 - January 21, 2021
Ralph Marvin Love went to be with his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, on January 21, 2021. He joins his parents David and Emily Love, his son Robert Love and his brothers David, Robert and Tom Love in heaven. He is survived by his wife of 67 years, Lucile Love, his daughter Tracy Love, his son-in-law David Brandt, his beloved sister Elva Mohney and sister-in-law Ruth Ann Howard. Additionally, he is survived by his twenty-three nieces and nephews and Molly, his golden doodle.
Ralph was born in Sarver, PA on February 11, 1932. He graduated from Freeport High School in 1950. He joined the U.S. Navy in 1951 and married his high school Sweetheart, Lucile, in 1953. He served as an electronic technician in the U.S. Navy during the Korean War until being honorably discharged in 1955. During his time in the military he flew radar missions to study weather patterns, the jet stream and his duties included flying into the eyes of hurricanes.
After leaving the Navy, he enrolled at Penn State University, graduating in 1959 with a Bachelor's of Science degree in Electrical Engineering. In 1959 he was inducted into Eta Kappa Nu for excellence in scholastic achievement.
After graduating from Penn State, he worked for Bendix Corporation as an electrical engineer. In 1963, Ralph moved to Scottsdale, Arizona to work for Motorola. During his 30 year career at Motorola he worked in the Tactical Electronics Division starting as an electrical engineer becoming Section Manager, then VP & Manager of Fuze Systems and finally culminating his career as Corporate Vice President and General Manager of the Tactical Electronics Division of Motorola's Government Electronics Group. A special highlight of his time working at Motorola, was the day he spent landing, dining, touring and taking off from the USS Nimitz Aircraft Carrier. He retired from Motorola in 1993.
Ralph served on the Penn State Advisory Board for the College of Engineering from 1998 to 2003. In 2003, he was named Alumni of the Year for Penn State's College of Engineering. Penn State holds a special place in his heart.
As successful as Ralph was in his work life, he was equally successful in his personal and retired life. He and his good friend, John Lahet, managed and coached the Scottsdale Little League team winning the division and advancing to the state playoffs. Ralph also served as an umpire in the Scottsdale Little League. His service represented his lifelong love of baseball.
Ralph was also an accomplished skeet shooter. He won many Motorola skeet shooting league awards. He competed many times in the state of Arizona as well as the national skeet competitions in San Antonio.
Ralph and Lucile loved to travel across America in their RV. Some memorable trips include Mount Rushmore, Grand Canyon, Highway One in Pacific Northwest, Gettysburg, Nashville, and Northern Florida/Ft. Walton Beach area. Ralph loved America.
Ralph also loved fly fishing. He traveled with his great friend, Dr. Bob Muller, to Venezuela and the Caribbean many times for bone fishing. Dad once said, "Standing waist deep in water, fishing and watching the sun rise and set in the Caribbean was surely a glimpse of heaven on earth."
The Grand Canyon was Ralph's favorite place on earth. He hiked the Grand Canyon seven times and went whitewater rafting down the Colorado River. Ralph and Lucile especially loved spending Thanksgiving dining at the El Tovar restaurant.
Ralph's later years were spent golfing with his friends in the The Monday Golf Group. During his years of playing, he hit three hole-in-ones and golfed his age many times.
Ralph was always selfless about giving his time, knowledge, opinions and love to his co-workers, friends and family. He was famous for his "Kitchen Table Talks." Ralph believed that wisdom and life experiences were meant to be shared with all the people in his life.
Ralph lived a beautiful life filled with love of the outdoors, family and friends. We will not be holding services for Ralph but instead have chosen to establish a memorial page for him. We want all his friends and family to post pictures, tell stories or share a memory. These will be compiled into a memory book so that his wife Lucile and his daughter Tracy can read and re-read about happy times you spent with Ralph.
Tributes
"Dora Elva Love Mohney Lake Zurich, IL Being Ralph\'s sister has been my good fortune. We grew up in a loving home filled with laughter and happiness few people ever experience. Ralph and I had 3 awesome brothers and, of course, my being a girl , I had plenty of advisors. Ralph was a good baseball player and I accompanied him to his American Legion games all through high school. Those years are a precious memory to me. There is no way I can adequately express the love and respect I had for my brother Ralph. He was my rock when I unexpectedly lost my husband when he was only 48 years old. I turned to Ralph for comfort and counseling. He, being the epitome of common sense and clear thinking, advised me to carry on, reminding me I had two girls that needed me and their love and well being was what I needed to concentrate on. Even though we were separated by miles between Scottsdale and Chicago, we enjoyed many, many telephone conversations through the years. I will forever be indebted for the love I got to share with him, my sister-in-law, Lu, niece Tracy and her husband David, and of course, my late nephew Bob. Many, many fond memories of our visits with them."
"Brian Belanger I have been very fortunate to have known Ralph Love in many capacities: neighbor, friend, mentor, role model, boss, and golfing buddy. Our family moved from Connecticut in January of 1977 into a new home in a new neighborhood in the northern reaches of Scottsdale (Cactus & Pima). Soon after we arrived, our across-the-street neighbors, Ralph & Lu Love, introduced themselves. They graciously offered their help as we got to know our surroundings and Ralph said he had any tool imaginable if I needed to fix things. He also had a complete machine shop where we could make a part if we needed it. We found out that we were both engineers that worked at Motorola GED (in different Operations) and he noted that the following January we wouldn?t be walking around in shorts and short-sleeved shirts. Ralph always took an interest in our three boys. Ralph was a very good amateur baseball player and was always willing to share baseball tips with the boys. When they had an interest in archery, he took them into his backyard archery range and showed them the proper shooting technique. (Ralph was an avid bow hunter). Ralph also provided needed counseling services to our youngest son Greg. When he was around four, he decided that he had enough of our family and wanted to leave home. We helped him pack his bag and he headed up the street toward Ralph?s house and sat down on the curb. Shortly thereafter, Ralph came out and sat down next to Greg and they had a long talk. I don?t know what they talked about, but Greg returned home and decided to stay for a while longer. I was very fortunate to work for Ralph when he was the Engineering Manager in the Radar Operations and then as an Operations and later General Manager in the Tactical Electronics Division. During these years, I was able to observe several things about him that I admired and tried to emulate in my career. The first was that he always treated everyone in the organization with respect. When your project was doing well you knew Ralph was pleased ? but this came with a gentle reminder to stay alert for a disaster that may be lurking. When your project wasn?t meeting his expectations, you knew it. Through a unique blend of humor, of your current project shortcomings, and of recollections of your past successes, you got the message. You didn?t want to let Ralph down ? so you worked your butt off to get back on track. Secondly, Ralph knew that work was only a part of his life. Ralph loved getting home to his family and he enjoyed his many ?leisure? activities. He knew the value of getting away from the job and recharging his batteries. When I retired in 2006, I joined the infamous Motorola (later Monday) Golf Group of which Ralph was a member. As the name implies, most of its members were retired Motorolans and the carpools to the golf course were probably more fun than the golf. There were lots of Motorola ?war stories? as well as a collective mindset that could solve any problem that could arise with your automobile or your house or almost anything. We solved most of the world?s problems ? sometimes many times over and often with different solutions. Ralph was an accomplished skeet and trap shooter, fisherman, and bow hunter. Golf was a different beast for Ralph. Although he shot his age a number of times and had several holes in one, golf frustrated him so much that he was heard uttering ?dang it? a number of times. It has been rumored that one time he was overheard uttering a cuss word (not corroborated). He always wished he had taken golf up earlier in life. However, in true Ralph-grit fashion, he was always eager to play on the following Monday morning. I lost a true friend in Ralph. I will miss him and will never forget him. "
"Bill Hochgraef February 13,2021 Ralph and I worked together at Motorola GED starting back in 1965. He was a great man to work with and exception of a brief assignment in another Division we worked together till Ralph retired. Then we played golf in the Monday Golf Group. Being Valentines Eve, brought back a memory of another Valentines Eve, 1966 I think. Ralph and I were working on a system that was giving us trouble. Anyway we worked on into the night and finally decided what the corrective action was to be and called it a night. As we were walking out of the plant it dawned on us that it was 2 A.M. Valentines Day. Neither one of us had thought to get a box of candy, a card, flowers or anything for our wives for Valentines Day. About that time we walked past coin operated candy machine that had large candy bars. Ah, we were saved. Both our wives got Baby Ruth candy bars that Valentines Day. My understanding is that it became a tradition at Ralph\'s house. At mine it morphed into a bag of peanut clusters."
"It has been an honor to know Ralph and Lu over the 12 years their precious Bob was cared for at Bryans Center. They were a dynamic couple whose faithfulness, devotion and above all love was commendable and inspiring. Our Bryans Brunch Bunch grew from friendships that blossomed and grew over those years. AND they have been on-going as we\'ve continued to break bread together. Ralph was our mascot, cheerleader and lucky charm. The BBB\'s, as we affectionately refer to ourselves, were blessed to lovingly experience THE LOVES. Thanks for the memories, laughs, hugs and the precious LOVE demonstrated, as you cared for each other. Ralphs true pleasure and treasures were, YOU, Lu, Tracey, David, family and the dear, dear friends that we have come to know better through all these precious tributes. GOD bless your goodness. "
"I met Ralph playing golf in the Monday Golf Group. Ralph is BIG FUN with a constant happy face - a real joy to be around. Ralph said when he hit a good shot he heard a \'CLICK\'. When I think of Ralph, I smile. Ralph, thanks for the memories and I\'ll be listening for \'CLICKS\' (yours and mine). Vaya con Dios, my friend. Don Murray"
"It has taken me a few days to collect my thoughts and memories to be able to write this tribute today. How do you summarize a lifetime of memories about one of the greatest men you have ever known? How do you choose what to put on paper ? I have narrowed it down to what my Uncle Ralph taught me is important and that is really wrapped up into one word...FAMILY. This journey started in my childhood with the excitement of going to visit my Uncle Ralph and Aunt Lu on family vacations. Our trips to Camelback mountain, old historic photo shoots, the Indian shops, Big Surf (wink Tracy) , making homemade ice cream, vacation Bible schools, watching family videos and laughing until our stomachs hurt are some of the memories I cherish. The common denominator was the true enjoyment we all felt about being together. Uncle Ralph told me my family is who I could always count on. My family was who was important. My mom was the only sister to 4 wonderful Uncles with Ralph being one of them. They were all shining examples of what family really is all about. I remember the first time my uncle Ralph. Met my girls in person. I introduced them one at a time and after each one I said, ?hold on there is one more? he got such a kick out of it. After all four were introduced he told me I was a millionaire 4 times over. When my dad passed away I remember him holding us up and being there for anything we needed. When I wanted to apply for a management position and needed to discuss the approach he was their with fatherly advise and gave me the confidence I needed. I remember telling him I got it and how happy he was for me. I remember the look on his face when we celebrated his 60th wedding anniversary where he saw all his family from near and far there to support him. I remember the smiles when he was with all of us at family reunions and most of all when he looked at my Aunt Lu and cousin Tracy who he adored. See, bottom line all those memories are about FAMILY. Being with FAMILY. Appreciating FAMILY. I am just fortunate enough to be born into one of the greatest families. Finally, I couldn?t leave without stating the one time I remember my Uncle Ralph being slightly frustrated with his family... while he and my aunt Lu went somewhere with my parents.... Tracy, Leslie and I decided to bake something and made a huge mess in their kitchen. Upon return he was not happy. In true fashion my dear Aunt Lu tried to soften the blow and help us by saying ? It was windy today Ralph? as we all looked at the flour coating everything...he looked at her and wasn?t buying that excuse...all he said was ? LU???? we all laugh to this day about that story. I will miss my Uncle Ralph, he will always be with me in my heart. In my mind and in my actions because he was the best example. Until we can be family members again , heavenly family...I LOVE YOU UNCLE RALPH and thank you for everything! Cousin Karen "
"My name is Randy Joselit and I have been Ralph & Lucile\'s CPA for decades. Ralph has been a pleasure to work with and an obvious, \"great guy\". Even though I knew he was a great guy, I never knew how many incredibly great accomplishments he had achieved until I read his obituary. In addition to being a great guy, he was obviously very very humble as well."
" I knew Ralph through much of his career at Motorola. I enjoyed his company on various Tactical Electronics Division outings and business trips back East. To me, the greatest compliment of a man\'s character is that he is a \"good man.\" There are many descriptions that sound more important, but this one says far more. Those that knew Ralph will certainly agree that he was a good man. He was among my favorite General Managers and Vice Presidents at Motorola, not for the typical attributes of vision, political wizardry, or business acumen (though these clearly applied). I liked and respected Ralph most of all because he was a \"good man.\" I have, and will, think of him often."
"Remembering all the good times and hot dogging adventures Al and I shared with Ralph and Lou. "
"From all I\'ve read about Ralph in his obituary and from these tributes, he was a really amazing guy. As a neighbor since 1975 I regret to not having gotten to know him nor Lou very well. Our close encounters were when he was walking Molly down Sunnyside Drive and we (my wife Carol and I) were walking our Papillons in the opposite direction. All of us would stop and say \"Howdy\" and kibitz a bit. Many times I\'d be fixing a leak in the irrigation system, digging the trench to get at the pipe(s) and he and Molly would come by...of course there was the ubiquitous \"You diggin\' to China?\" or \" It\'s too hot today for that!\" My reply was always, \"come on and help\" or \" you\'re right, but the swimming pool is waiting for me.\" We both had a great sense of patriotism and loved the G.O.P. My one and only time shooting a shotgun at a skeet was the only time I hit something on the fly the first time ever. Ralph would have laughed at that story. I\'m still trying to hit a golf ball straight down the fairway and putt to get the ball within 2 inches or less, maybe even in the hole after 2 strokes. He would have laughed at my escapades I\'m sure. My Papillons, ORI and REMY will be wondering where\'s\'Molly? The Kichler clan will miss you Ralph. God Bless you and your family. R.I.P."
"Ann Underwood I am writing these words that I have heard our mother, Ann Underwood, say many times over the years. (she is 94 yrs old and is currently residing in Memory Care in Mesa, AZ, so I will take the liberty of speaking for her) Working for Ralph as his secretary for many years was the highlight of mom\'s Motorola career. She often talked about what a good man and wonderful boss he was. Mom and our dad, Ken, were very fond of both Ralph and Lou and had many good times with them outside of work, as well, with other Motorola retirees. I wish I were able to ask mom to share some of her favorite stories about Ralph. Please know that he was loved by many and will be missed. Sending our sincere condolences to Lu and family from Ann Underwood and her children (Bob, Sue and Lu). "
"Uncle Ralph, I did not get to spend a lot of time with him, but I cherished every moment with him that I had. Our family drove there when our kids were teenagers. Our whole family really enjoyed getting to spend quality time with both Uncle Ralph and Aunt Lou. Uncle Ralph and I worked on his low voltage outdoor lighting and got it working like he wanted it. He gave me a pair of wire strippers that I still have and every time I see them, I think of him. We so enjoyed hearing his stories of the past and his sharing his wisdom. I have met very few people that were as upbeat as him; I think they mostly are his siblings. I think we all are one of the luckiest families in the world. He has made this world a better place to live. We will miss you Uncle Ralph. R.I.P. "
"Uncle Ralph and Aunt Lu would open their house and hearts to Mary and I every time we had the opportunity to visit them. They took the time to show us all of Arizona...the state they love so much. I also had so much enjoyment spending time with Uncle Ralph on the golf course , in Arizona, and also in Pennsylvania when he was able to make it back for family reunions. But the best times we ever had was sitting in the house, together with Tracy and Aunt Lu, listening to all the great stories they were able to share. "
"We are very sorry to hear of the families loss. You have our prayers & condolences. Note: Ralph will be remembered within the \"Freeport Area 2021 Memorial Pages\" to be published in early January 2022. This File will be found within that archived section of the \"Freeport, PA Area Bulletin Board (Sarver & FASD)\" Facebook group. Family & friends are encouraged to join the group to view this file at any time in the future. Follow this link to join the group on Facebook: Freeport, PA Area Bulletin Board (Sarver & FASD) "
"Oh what great times we?ve had! Aunt Lu and uncle Ralph surprise anniversary party ?? And great memories when we went to Las Vegas and had picnics in the parking lot of circus circus ??Family reunions was always great times with very special people?? Rest in peace uncle Ralph until we meet again?? Love you??"
"Uncle Ralph would always tell my mom that because of my sisters and I she was a millionaire four times. He was such a good hearted man. I will never forget visiting him in Arizona and Neil playing golf with him. I will miss him so much. ?? Jennifer Teubel "
"Dad at Penn State vs. ASU wrestling match with John Lahet and Tom Swigert in 2020..Penn State had a rare loss."
"I knew Ralph for most of my 39 year career at Motorola. Always considered him one of my most liked and admired Motorolans. Miss his smile, chuckle, and quick wit. "
"Dan Mason. I met Ralph through the Monday Golf Group. Though I too was a 30 year Motorola?s it was in a different group. Ralph was just a great guy to be around. Whenever we played together I would kid him ?Ralph, if and when I ever grow up I just want to be like Ralph Love!? He always got a chuckle out of it and off we?d go down the fairway. He will truly be missed!"
"I met Ralph and Lu through their daughter, Tracy. What a blessing and great example this couple set throughout their married life. Speaking specifically of Ralph, he was a man that every girl would want for her dad; handsome, intelligent, kind and witty. As a matter of fact, he was one of those rare creatures - a brilliant engineer with a fantastic sense of humor! He loved his family and anybody who knew him or was around him for more than a minute knew it. I wasn\'t able to be around him as much as I would\'ve liked but I will miss him greatly Debra Curry"
"Don Rothwell I did not work with Ralph because we worked in different divisions of Motorola GEG. After retirement i had the privilege to get to know Ralph on the golf course because we both played regularly in the Monday Golf Group . We quickly realized that we both graduated from Penn State lived our childhood in western Pennsylvania had the same political views and owned property in Overgaard Arizona were we would go in the summer to get relief from the heat. Ralph was an excellent sportsman as depicted in his obituary. He excelled at golf and constantly reminded me that \"Its the Indian not the arrows\" that makes them great hunters. Over the years on the golf course he would tell me stories of his love for his wife daughter and his dog who he thought he was smarter than most humans. I played with Ralph two days before his passing and we kidded that he was out driving me as usual. He lived life to the fullest right up to the end. I will miss him."
"Larry B. Smith Ralph hired me into Motorola in January, 1977. I worked directly and indirectly for Ralph up to his retirement in 1993. In my 40 year career in Aerospace [36 were with Motorola and then General Dynamics], Ralph had the most influence on me.as an engineer and as a person. He had a deft way of letting one know when he wasn\'t pleased with a sense of humour and without excessive emotion or 4 letter words I was not as successful in emulating this trait I\'m afraid. The one lesson I still remember occurred when i submitted my first attempt at a Motorola proposal . He used the analogy of wrestling, gleaned from his son\'s experience -- the opening section should grab the reader like a wrestler that \"shoots the first takedown\", who will win 80% of the time Never forgot that message at Motorola and in other parts of life Ralph combined the traits of a true gentleman/coach/mentor in a complex profession, bringing a sense of fun and perspective while never losing focus on why we were there -- for satisfying our customers and stockholders. He was a true asset to the company and to those that knew him."
"I would rather be reliving than recalling the wonderful times I had with Ralph over the many years since I first meet him. It began in boot camp & continued thru our 4 yrs. in the Navy. The last 2 yrs. of that time we both had married & had our first child. We married couples together the Memmers,& the Helds would get together for fun & games. Once when we playing cards, Lu offering the cards to be cut instead of saying the usual,? cut thin & win, cut deep & weep ? said ? cut short & snort?. That produced laughter & her trademark afterwards. After our discharges in 1955 & the summer in our hometowns, we reunited @ PSU for 4 yrs. Ralph & l hunted when we could & Peg & Cheryl,& Lu & Bobby would go to the PSU football games. The college courses were hard & studying preempted social time. Upon graduating , Ralph , Lu, & Bobby went to York with Bendix & Peg,Cheryl, 2?nd daughter Carol & I went to Binghamton,NY with GE. Over the subsequent years, there were visits & telephone conversations. Now we wish there would have been more because we feel truly blessed to have had Ralph & Lu for friends & to be continued with Lu. Jim & Peg Miller"
"We love you Ralph. What a man of God. "
"My father and mother speak so fondly of Ralph?I don?t remember him but he sounds like a truly wonderful person. Cheryl (Miller) Dellasega"
"My father and mother speak so fondly of Ralph?I don?t remember him but he sounds like a truly wonderful person. Cheryl (Miller) Dellasega"