Ralph Brandt Sr. of Redington Beach, Florida, passed away July 26, 2021 from pancreatic cancer. He was born in Union City, Michigan on November 11, 1928. He was the son of the late Roy and Arthul (Yunt) Brandt. He was preceded in death by his loving wife Joan Murphy Brandt, after 53 years of marriage.
Ralph is survived by his stepson Michael (Cathy) Cross, his sons, Ralph Jr (Flora), Jefferey, Brian (Kim), Timothy, six grandchildren, ten great-grandchildren, and many beloved nieces and nephews. Ralph was a die-hard Michigan State fan and he was an Air Force veteran of the Korean War Era (1950-1954). Ralph worked as a Federal Auditor for FEMA for thirty years and retired in 1984.
After retirement, he pursued his love of restoring old houses. His first project was restoring the family’s large run-down home in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. For twenty years, there were many fond and crazy memories with family and friends. This might be why some people called it ‘Camp Runamuck’. Memorial Services will be held at St. John Vianney Catholic Church on Sep 4, 2021 at 11:00 AM.
Graveside military honors service will be September 7, 2021 at 11:00 AM at the Bay Pines National Cemetery, 10000 Bay Pines Blvd., Bay Pines, Florida 33744 with the United States Air Force, to officiate.
Friends and family are invited to share a memory and sign his guestbook below.
Uncle Ralph was such a fun loving, caring gentleman. He always made sure to speak to everyone during our huge family gatherings. He was ambitious beyond words. He worked harder than anyone I know during his retirement years. Mom and Dad really enjoyed spending time with Ralph and Joan. Ralph will be truly missed, yet we know that he suffers no more. Happily in heaven with his dear wife Joan. Mike, Ralph, Jeff, Bryan and Tim know that you are in our thoughts and prayers.
Dad,
Over years, I’ve thanked you for shared experiences. I would like to to review them here so others can know my thoughts.
You and mom shared with me what it meant to be raised during THE depression, and you stated having lived on a farm had little effect on your daily life. You shared what it was like to “literally” trudge through the snow, to a one-room school house, where all ages were taught together in a single room. You shared your motivations to “get out” of that world and pursue dreams of travel, and how you procured your education, which lead to a very powerful career. In working and playing on your parents farm, I experienced a life of independence from “outside events” learning farming offers freedom from dependence on outside sourcing. Your pursuit of an education taught me its value and what a privilege it is to get one. Sharing memories of your eras education system verses current methods helped me mentally balance the need for specialized & sectionalized schooling per age-group, but also, to see the value of social strata interactions found in the “one room approach.” Interacting with others of different ages has great value as life is a series of social interactions and to have been taught by example, to maneuver comfortably in social settings was a true gift..
By hands-on training, you brought into my life a plethora of farming experiences, ie. How to drive a tractor, and use all the attachments and to have respect for their safe handling not to mention all the other farm machinery. You had me shearing sheep, shoveling a variety of animal poop, gathering eggs and cutting chickens heads off for food. I milked cows, put up hay, and weeded in the garden. Those experiences combined with my other “family” (who also farmed, timbered and hunted) were invaluable to establishing a work ethic that carries on with me today. Those rural skills, bred in me a love of gardening, and instilled a wonder of growing my own food and developed in me a strong love of nature. I gained respect for where our food comes from and its quality. That set me on a life path of fascination for different health lifestyles ranging from vegen-ism to Keto dieting and tons of reading and research of scientific nutritional theories and foundations. Because of the farming experience, I got to explore organic farming myself, along with bee raising, natural wild food harvesting and game, berry, mushroom hunting. All that inspired me to take advanced courses in the future of farming, using Aquaponics and Hydroponics and opened the door for me to work with and get hands on experience with groups that are cutting edge today (Elon and Kimbel Musks) Fascinating stuff, Thank you.
You reined in my youthful testosterone by demanding two “givens,” Have a JOB and PLAY SPORTS. Like most kids of the 50s, neither appealed to me while there was a new toy out, TV, to watch. You forced me to learn competition via contact and team play. Even though was more of a “left brain” type, those years of Football, Wrestling and Track gave me the confidence and courage to not veer from physical interactions, lifelong body strength and agility, plus awakened in me a lifelong inner-competition to stay strong, agile and physically prepared for what life can throw at us. It made the Marine Corps Boot Camp seem almost a fun challenge; it made surviving living in the wilderness a treat in endurance, and protected me in prison. It had me win a third place in a Bill Phillips challenge of 10,000 entrees and it keeps me even at 70, doing 3 mile jogs, and strength building workouts. I’m comfortable and confident jumping from planes, kayaking down rapids, climbing cliffs and “mixing it up” with those half my age and younger. Thank You.
As for the JOB rule, that (along with others in my life) had me (pre-high school graduation) gain knowledge and experiences most others never get. By 1969 I’d worked on several farms, from chickens to vegetable, worked industrial metal shop steel fabrication machines, drove a dump truck, school bus, tractor and skidder plus was the only “kid” working in an older, all black car wash, was a butchers assistant and delivered papers, not to mention that I was your “painters assistant” and all round handy-man helper. I had gathered maple syrup on a wagon and mowed more lawns than I care to remember. All those pre-leaving the nest experiences, had me feeling invincible and comfortable taking on any task, even if I did not know the job, I could figure it out via by having other work experiences to draw from for guidance. Thank you
While not a business type, I have watched and learned from you how to set up and budget, do financial projecting. I learned ratios for spending and how to invest, not to mention market spotting. From that (and with the home repair skills learned from you) I have owned six homes and many other “flips” and manage my own stock investments and retirement funds. While not a wiz like you, I did learn enough to understand how markets and financial institutions operate, function, make decisions, and in many cases how they exploit the uneducated and poor. Thank You.
Your fascinating career from OCDM to FEMA has always intrigued and inspired me to be involved. Add to that yours and Moms very humanitarian outlook on life, helped form me into somewhat of an activist. Your professional approach in a very humanitarian job, motivated me to “stand up”, and participate in such social events as: “Viet Vets Against the War,” be active sharing my experiences with Veterans PTSD outreach programs, “Whistle-Blow” against a 4-Star USMC General and win!, work within the corrections prison creating and teaching a course on “reentry math” (how to balance a checkbook and save, plus budget and plan) and to work with an outside group teaching other inmates how to read. Your work and how you approached it made me aware of the needs and dangers in our social order, the dangers and need for effective response during disasters and how to “think” about disaster planning. That lead to a very rewarding 16 year interaction with Doctors w/out Borders and 3 years now of the Burning Man LAGI Project. Thank you.
Also of note, is your example on how to interact and interface on a social level. Watching you and Mom dance, play cards, host parties and other social gatherings taught me how to enjoy interactions with others and feel comfortable doing so. I can play bridge, dance, lecture, and plan social events with both confidence and joy, which has made my life richer. You both also showed tolerance and acceptance for those not like ourselves. Thank you.
All those (and more) combined experiences, wanted and unwanted guidance’s, molded by both positive and negative reinforcements have given me both the ability and courage to go out in life, attempting things beyond my comfort level. You have minimized the fear many have, of “getting out and doing life.” Thank you.
I truly feel I’ve been graced by your “Dadship” It’s had me flying with the stars then absorbing a crash from the heights, where those life’s experiences allowed me to raise from the ashes and climb slowly to wondrous heights again. I could not have done that without the many experiences you and Mom have given me. Thank you.
THANK YOU for ALL the experiences helping me survive from Webelos to War, Failure to Flight, from worker to Whistleblower, Patriot to Protester, and the biggest being pushed to go beyond an ignorant youths mentality, to becoming a gray-haired life-liver, with first hand experiences to aide others when possible. As is often stated, “better late than never” and it was in part, YOU that gave me the tools, motivations, and experiences to have made that painfully exciting journey. Thank YOU.
I just love you and hope the pains I have inflicted are outweighed by the new views of life and experiences I may have shared back. Thanks for being a super Dad, REST IN PEACE.
Ps I forgive you for making me eat my peas and marrying Mom. ☺
Love you,
Mike
Ralph was my neighbor and friend for the past decade. He was a wonderful “wise old guy”, always had a good sense of humor and helped me many times just by giving suggestion’s of how to fix whatever needed fixing. Approx 1 yr ago, at 0600 in the am, while on my walk, I saw Ralph on top
Adios querido amigo!!!!!!descansa en paz,,! Tu y joan fueron lo mejor que pudo pasar en mi vida,!!!lps estrañare toda mi vida!!!!!
Querido ralph te estrañare toda mi vida como a joan!! Fueron como unos padres para mi quiero agradecerte todo lo wue ustedes hicieron por mi!!!descansa en paz wuerido amigo
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