Ralph J. Staehli lived a long and very full life. He was born May 20, 1918, in Portland, Oregon. His first job while in high school was working in his grandfather’s cabinetmaking shop. After high school, he spent summers, weekends and vacations stoking boilers on the sternwheelers carrying cargo on the Columbia River. He attended the University of Washington and worked one summer in a gold mine in Alaska to pay for school. After graduation, he joined the Navy and commanded a fleet of minesweepers in the South Pacific during WW2. He received the Navy Bronze Star for minesweeping operations on the beaches of Pelelliu and Anguar prior to the amphibious landing on these islands. During the war, his ship stopped in Port Angeles, where he met his future wife, Helen. They moved to Seattle where Ralph worked on the waterfront for many years. He was a manager at Pope and Talbot Steamship Company, Foss Launch and Tug Company and Olympic Steamship Company (Salmon Terminals). He loved ships and small boats and just being on the water. He obtained his USCG Master License and spent summers taking his family and friends boating to the San Juan Islands, the Canadian Gulf Islands and north as far as Princess Louisa Inlet. In retirement, Ralph and Helen built a house on Vashon Island. Ralph did much of the work on this house and he had a large workshop in the basement where he also built a working scale model of a steam locomotive, of which he was quite proud. Ralph also was a woodcarver and came from a Swiss family of woodcarvers. He carved panels depicting various Bible stories on the stairway up to the Burton Church on Vashon Island. He also made much of the furniture in his home. Ralph loved to ski and continued to find snow until he was in his 80’s.
Ralph and Helen were happily married for 56 years and travelled extensively until her death in 2000. They had 2 children, Ralene Walls (Burton) and Chris Staehli (Molly). Ralph is also survived by his grandchildren Mike Hurt (Susan), Tanya Tobler (Reto), Preston Walls (Ashleigh), Annie Gartner (Nick), Lisa Reasner (Michael), Michael Kledzik); and Ralph has 9 great grandchildren.
After the death of Helen, Ralph met Sharon on a Caribbean cruise. They were happily married for 11 years and he continued to travel with Sharon to Alaska, Europe, South America and Norway until very recently. He had just renewed his passport in preparation for another trip when Ralph passed away on December 18, 2014. Sharon was a very enthusiastic travel companion for Ralph and together they amazed their family with the adventures they achieved. On their last major trip, they cruised the fjords of Norway in a coastal freighter while Ralph was confined to a wheelchair and had a number of health problems. We will remember Ralph as having an incredible zest for life.
A celebration of Ralph’s life for friends and family is planned for January. If you would like to attend, please contact a family member for details. In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent to the Puget Sound Maritime Historical Society, PO Box 81142, Seattle, WA 98108, Burton Community Church, PO Box 13134, Burton, WA 98013, orVashon Community Care, 16333 Vashon Highway SW,
Vashon, WA 98070
Paid Obituary.
