Youngblood, Ralph LaVerne 1922-2006
YOUNGBLOOD, TURNER, BASILE, SLIGHT, STEWART, OPSAHL, FARMER, ELLIOTT, EXEY
Posted By: Joy Moore (email)
Date: 12/21/2012 at 14:53:21
Ralph L. Youngblood, age 84, of Council Bluffs, Iowa and formerly of Freeport, Iowa, died Sunday, June 11, 2006 at Jennie Edmundson Memorial Hospital in Council Bluffs, Iowa following a brief illness.
Funeral Services will be held at 11:00 A.M. Thursday, June 15, 2006 at Fjelstul Funeral Home in Decorah, Iowa, by Adam Humburg of Souled Out Ministries. Burial with Full Military Honors will be in Freeport Cemetery, Freeport, Iowa.
Friends may call from 4:00-7:00 P.M. Wednesday, June 14, 2006 at Fjelstul Funeral Home in Decorah, Iowa, where a Military Memorial Service will be held at 6:30 P.M. Friends may also call from 10:00-11:00 A.M. Thursday, June 15, 2006 at the Funeral Home.
Ralph LaVerne Youngblood was born February 18, 1922 in Mitchell, South Dakota, the son of Francis Harrison and Eva (Turner) Youngblood. He was raised in the Decorah – Freeport, Iowa area.
He was united in marriage to Bettina Basile on December 29, 1945 in Naples, Italy. To this union, four children were born: Frank, Texas, Eva and Tim.
Ralph joined the U.S. Army on October 7, 1942 and served until his Honorable Discharge on July 1, 1946 at Camp McCoy, WI. During his tour of duty, he earned the European, African, Middle Eastern Service Medal, Good Conduct Medal and the Army of Occupation ribbon.
Ralph enlisted in the U.S. Air Force in the fall of 1947 and served until his retirement on November 16, 1968 as a Chief Warrant Officer (CWO4). Following his enlistment in the Air Force, Ralph and his family resided in Merced, California; Margate and Manston, England; Spokane, Washington; Denver, Colorado: Kailua and Kaneohe, Hawaii; Yuma, Arizona; Biloxi, Missippi; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; and Waverly, Iowa. Ralph was awarded an The Air Force Commendation Award in 1965 for meritorious actions following a plane crash on Umnak in the Aleutian Islands.
After retiring from the Air Force, Ralph worked as a Policeman for the City of Waverly, Iowa, retiring after nine years. Following retirement from the Waverly Police Department, Ralph and Bettina resided in Decorah, Iowa; Fort Collins, Colorado and Waverly, Iowa. Following Bettina’s death in 1992, Ralph lived with his son, Texas in San Antonio, Boerne and Austin, Texas before moving to Council Bluffs, Iowa where he resided with his son Frank and daughter-in-law Corrine.
He was a life member of the American Legion and a member of the Military Officers Association of America. Ralph loved spending time with his grandchildren and great grandchildren. Ralph enjoyed good food, reading the newspaper, crossword puzzles and most of all fishing, especially fishing the Mississippi River in Northeast Iowa as well as many of the lakes in Texas.
Survivors include a daughter, Eva T. (Russell E.) Slight of Estherville, IA; three sons, Frank (Corrine) Youngblood of Council Bluffs, IA, Texas W. (Janis) Youngblood of Austin, TX, and Tim (Cheryl) Youngblood of Phoenix, AZ; seven grandchildren; ten great-grandchildren; three sisters, Carol Stewart of Clermont, IA, Betty Lou (Harold) Opsahl of Cedar Rapids, IA, and Marlys (William ) Farmer of Marion, IA; two brothers, Norice (Donna) Youngblood of Freeport, IA and Marvin (Lana) Youngblood of West Union, IA; a sister-in-law, Marjorie Youngblood of Ossian,IA and numerous nieces and nephews.
Ralph was preceded in death by his parents; his wife, Bettina on January 22, 1992; three sisters, Florence Elliott, Mae Exey and Julie Ann Youngblood; and two brothers, Irvin and Wayne Youngblood.
Source: Fjelstul Funeral Home database
Freeport Cemetery
Winneshiek Obituaries maintained by Bruce Kuennen.
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