Ralph Kurt Beyer was born May 15, 1935 in Buffalo, N.Y., to Walter Kurt and Marguerite Adelaide Beyer. He died September 2, 2014 at age 79 at home with his loving family at his bedside. Cause of death was multiple organ failure due to Parkinson’s disease. Ralph and Yvonne were married at the All Faith Chapel on base 45 years ago and have lived at the same address in Ridgecrest for 40 of those years.
Ralph was always an outdoorsman. As a young boy, growing up in Eden, N.Y., he would hunt and fish down by the local creek. He was industrious too. He would sell the pelts to earn money for the 16-cent shows of Roy Rogers and Gene Autry at the theater a mile away. Ralph graduated from Eden High School and was a three-letter man throughout his high school years. He went to Colgate College for a year then decided to join the Navy after visiting his dad in San Diego.
He was in the service for four years as a Guided Missile man Second Class specialist on the submarine, the USS Grayback, (SSG-574) working on prelaunch guidance system checkout and bench tests for the Regulus I and II missiles. He received two Good Conduct Medals during that time. After the service he went to San Diego City College, where he earned an A.S. degree. He then went to San Diego State University to earn the B.S. degree in physics in 1963. He was hired by the Naval Weapons Center at China Lake, CA, as a physicist in 1963 and continued his education when he was awarded the NWC Fellowship award for the 1968-69 academic years. He was promoted to Electronic Engineer in 1973. He studied electromagnetic applications in antennas, radar systems and microwave networks and earned his master’s degree in engineering1979 from UCLA with a thesis on the subject of wave-particle interactions.
He had several patents and awards, including the Michelson Award in January 1985. He was the author of many technical publications and finally retired from civil service in 1995. He worked for about four years with Sverdrup in Ridgecrest as a consultant or rehired annuitant.
Ralph was a good man with a great sense of humor. He would always come up with thoughtful one-line zingers that would keep everyone in stitches.
He was an active outdoorsman and bird hunter, going after doves and those tireless and elusive chukar. He was also a good fly fisherman and rod and reel fisherman in lakes and streams. He loved backpacking - as long as there was a lake or stream along the path and at the end campsite. His children often thought of the backpack trips as “forced marches,” but now they look back with admiration for all the physical activities Ralph got the family involved with, including boating, waterskiing, windsurfing and snow skiing. He played hardball in his younger years at China Lake and later played softball with the co-ed team, “Pucci’s.” He liked dancing to the music of the Big Band X-press, with whom his wife, Yvonne, sang for 20 years.
He didn’t like to fly much, so long distance travel to other countries, islands or to visit extended family and friends in Switzerland were not on his list of “favorite things to do,” although windsurfing in Maui or South Padre Island were acceptable.
Ralph is survived by his wife, Yvonne, son Tim Beyer and daughter Lynn with husband Tim Loscar and their family, who live in Ridgecrest. There are seven grandchildren, six of whom still live in Ridgecrest: Joshua, Caleb, Isaac, Joseph, Benjamin, and Sarah. Rebekah, who recently married Erik Iversen of Glennville, CA, moved to Billings, Montana, to live on a ranch and break wild horses. Joshua married Rachel and they now have two boys, Aaron, 2 years old, and Levi, 6 months.
Ralph will be missed by his family and friends. He was a good father and husband who provided steadfast support to the whole family.
Cremations services are scheduled through Holland and Lyons Mortuary with a memorial service at the United Methodist church, Saturday, Sept. 13, at 10 a.m. with a reception following (location to be announced). Ashes will be scattered at a later date, and a memorial plaque will be applied to the military wall at the Ridgecrest Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, a donation to the local Hospice organization or the Parkinson’s Foundation would be appreciated.
[S5] Find A Grave, → Memorial ID 203562998.
1935 - 2014 (79 years)
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