Ralph Leslie Beaver

Funeral services for Ralph L. Beaver, 71, of Rochester, MN will be at 11:00 AM on Friday, January 24, 2014 at Autumn Ridge Church with the Rev. Dan Farm officiating. Entombment will be at Grandview Memorial Gardens Mausoleum.Visitation will be from 5:00- 8:00 PM on Thursday, January 23rd, 2014 at Ranfranz and Vine Funeral Homes and one hour prior to the service at the church. Ralph Leslie Beaver was born on March 29, 1942 in Rochester, PA to Curtis and Elizabeth (Kiedaisch) Beaver. He died on January 18, 2014 at St. Marys Hospital. Ralph graduated from Beaver High School in Beaver, PA and from Wesleyan College in West Virginia. He married Beverly Ryan on July 2, 1964 in Buckhannon, West Virginia. They lived in Steubenville, OH, Cockeysville, MD and Philadelphia, PA before moving to Rochester, MN in 1973 where Ralph worked at IBM as a systems engineer and later as a manager. He retired from IBM in 1998. In retirement Ralph continued his work as a consultant for IBM, worked at a golf driving range and worked at Macys Department Store. Ralph was active in his church and community. Using his considerable leadership skills, Ralph directed numerous children drama programs at church, chaired a major church building project, co-directed several mini-congregations and led various adult education projects. He chaired the National Community Resource Center Board, coached and served on the Executive Board of the Rochester Youth Soccer Association and was on the board of the RACER (Rochester Area Churches Emergency Relief). He enjoyed attending his grandchildrens sporting events, golfing and reading. Above all else, he loved God, his family and people. Survivors include his wife, Beverly of Rochester MN; daughters Dawn (Kyle) Nelson of Rochester, MN and Amy Beaver (Jeremy Lehman) of Lakeville, MN and son David (Melissa) Beaver of Owatonna, MN; 9 grandchildren and 1 sister, Eileen Cartwright of Powder Springs, GA. He was preceded in death by his parents. Memorials can be directed to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.