Ralph Frederick DeWalt

Ralph Frederick DeWalt was born on 26 July 1938 in Catasauqua, Pennsylvania. He was the son of Richard Edward DeWalt and Elsie Irene (Keck), is survived by his older sister Bey Rabenald and younger brother Roy DeWalt, and was predeceased by his younger brother Richard. Ralph was born and raised in the schoolhouse his father attended and later converted to their home which is now the site of Hanover Canal Park where weddings and family gatherings are held frequently. Ralph worked various jobs while attending Catasauqua High School where he played the trombone as a member of the school’s marching band, graduating with the class of 1956. He continued working various jobs and enrolled in nearby Moravian College to study physics and became the ﬁrst in his family to earn a Bachelor’s Degree in 1960. He later earned a Master’s Degree in Operations Research from the Navy Postgraduate School in Monterey, CA and studied national security policy at the National War College in Fort McNair, Washington, D.C. Inspired by a veteran Navy pilot vising Moravian campus, Ralph joined the Navy in 1960 and served as a Navy pilot for 26 years reaching the rank of Captain and accumulating 4,200 ﬂight hours, 131 combat missions over Vietnam, and 713 arrested carrier landings in 14 aircraft types from 9 aircraft carriers over 7 deployments. He commanded the Rooks of VAQ‐137 ﬂying the EA‐6B Prowler from the USS America and won the Airwing’s coveted Golden Tailhook Award for the squadron with the best landing performance. His personal awards include Defense Superior Service Medal, Air Medal (2), Navy Commendation Medal w/Combat “V”, and the Navy Achievement Medal. After entering from the Navy in 1986 Ralph worked in the defense and bank industries until retiring from Navy Federal Credit Union in 2003. Ralph married his high school sweetheart, Charlotte Ann (Hassler), on April 1st, 1959 and celebrated 60 years of marriage in 2019. Together they had 4 boys who all became career Navy Pilots like him: LCDR Richard P. DeWalt, USN (Ret.) ‐ 21 years, RDML Rodney P. DeWalt, USN ‐ 32+ years, CDR Michael C. DeWalt, USN (Ret.) ‐ 27 years, and CAPT Ralph F. DeWalt II, USN (Ret.) ‐ 25 years. They have 11 grand children ‐ Richard, Crystal, Jeremy, Lucas, Nicholas, Megan, Amber, Ralph F. DeWalt III, Riley, Arabella, and Christian, and 2 great‐grand children ‐ Ace and Colton. He was predeceased by his grandchild, Christian. Ralph was an avid golfer and enjoyed riding Harley Davidson’s all over the country with Char (on separate bikes) and friends and family. His true passion in retirement took him back to his roots building a horse farm, tending his garden, and improving his property. He was a faithful Christian, loving husband, caring father, patriotic warrior, and a passionate conservative who will be dearly missed by all who knew him.

Ralph Frederick DeWalt

July 26, 1938 - January 14, 2020