Obituary - Ralph Uhland 96

Ralph Merle Uhland, 96

Ralph Merle Uhland was born May 26, 1907, one of six boys to Robert and Edna (Burnham) Uhland in Burdett, Kansas. On August 30, 1921, the Uhland family packed up and headed west to Colorado where they settled near the town of Eads. Although Ralph was the only son to remain in Colorado to farm, his brothers were instrumental in getting the homestead started. Ralph was instilled with a will that was to never give up on anything and that enabled him to get through every day - the good and the bad - during his lifetime. During the time the family was farming Robert had two mules that were named Johnnie & Jack, and while the sons were out with their Dad he would call Ralph "Johnnie" and Leonard "Jack". These nicknames followed them throughout their life.

Ralph married Clara Jane Ives on June 3, 1927 in Wiley, and spent the next 76 years enjoying his life with her. Although there were hardships during these years together they didn't falter and each was the other's rock. They were what all their children, grandchildren, and even great-grandchildren admired and could only dream of for their own life to be copied. For them their honeymoon never ended, they always had a playfulness with each other that kept them young. Everyone has a story about the way "Johnnie" would tease Clara, and the way they would tell a story together and have everyone laughing. The way "Johnnie" would say he couldn't hear but would have a crooked grin on his face as Clara told a story about him. Their happiness was genuine and so were their heartaches. They lost three of their children before them, struggled through the dust bowl days, and their children's bout with polio. When they were sick, they were more concerned about the other's health. Ralph lost Clara the week after their 76th anniversary and shortly thereafter moved into Weisbrod Nursing Home where he lived until his death on October 25, 2003, at the age of 96.

Growing up Ralph enjoyed baseball and played the game very well. His team was talked about from rival towns and it was a great topic when you would sit down and visit with him. He didn't ever give up his love for baseball as he and Clara traveled to all their children's games and even all their grandchildren's games that they could make. They enjoyed all the times spent with their grandkids and all of them have special memories tucked away, whether it be pulling taffy with him, helping with the garden chores, working on motors in the garage, enjoying a ride with him on the golf cart or just the gleam in his eyes when his great-granddaughters came in to give him a hug. The times were priceless.

On Sundays, the two would hop in their car and make the rounds to either stop in and see everyone or just drive by and see the countryside. It was recorded in one of their journals that as they went on one of their Sunday drives, before they pulled their car into the garage when they returned home, they had traveled over 472 miles. He was one of the best farmers in the area and very inventive as he had the first automatic milo chaff dumpers on the back of his combines that made for excellent pasture for his cattle, and even after "retiring" he was still ready and on call to travel miles to pick up a part or help move equipment from field to field. Even at 90 years old he climbed on a combine to help his grandsons harvest corn.

Ralph and Clara had one of the best gardens and enjoyed many hours planting, cultivating and reaping the benefits at the dinner table from all their hard work. If they weren't in the garden they were out trimming the hedge that Clara and their son, Jerry planted when he was a young man. In later years Clara would drive the golf cart along the hedge, as "Johnnie" would trim it from the passenger side.

During his lifetime he suffered the loss of his brothers, Earl (in infancy); Claude "Babe" in 1970; Leonard "Jack" in 1975; Lyle in 1989; and Glenn in 2001; his sons, Gerald "Jerry" in 1972; Ralph Laverne in 1993; one daughter, Shirley Kayin1998.

Ralph will be missed by his children, Keith (Barbara) Uhland, Karen (Larry) Watts, Judy (D.L.) Weeks all from Eads, a brother and sister-in-law Ken (Lorna) Ives from Rodgers, Arkansas, and a brother-in-law, Bill Hartman from Harrisonville, Pennsylvania; also 19 grandchildren, 7 step-grandchildren, 45 great-grandchildren, 14 step-great-grandchildren, 3 great., great-grandchildren and 2 step-great, great-grandchildren and numerous nieces and nephews.

Services were held at the Methodist Church in Eads with Reverend Gary Goettel officiating the services and burial followed at the Eads Cemetery. Charlotte Woelk was the pianist and Monica Uhland was the vocalist with musical selections "Amazing Grace" and "The Old Rugged Cross".

In memory of Ralph contributions can be made to Kiowa Home Health Care. Brown Funeral Home was in charge of the funeral arrangements.