Ralph Eugene Masten
November 6, 2023
Ralph Eugene Masten passed away peacefully in the Sandusky Firelands hospital five days after his birthday and two days following his 100th birthday celebration. He was born at home in Sandusky (less than 1,000 feet from the hospital where his life ended) to Amelia Johnson, a daughter of Swedish immigrants, and to Edward Masten, a Lake Erie fish tug captain at the time. In 1923 they had just relocated from Port Clinton with their four other children (Warren, Howard, Helen & Clifford), the last of whom passed in 1997. He was preceded in death by his loving wife Mary Westerhold in 2006 after 59 years of marriage. The last 50 of those were lived at their two-story bungalow home in Wickliffe, Ohio where they managed to raise ten children and 2 grandchildren.
Surviving him are seven children: Steve, Patti Ranallo, Jude, Joe, Rich, Mike, and Jim. Three children predeceased him: Mary Jo McCallion (1988), Tom (2013) and Don (2018). There are 16 grand and 12 great grandchildren.
Shortly following graduation from Sandusky High School (1942) he served three years in the army during WW2 in England and Belgium following the D-Day invasion. His duties involved ordnance transportation logistics at the Port of Antwerp during its prolonged V-2 rocket bombardment. His four-volume memoir of that experience now reside in the Library of Congress’ Veterans History Project Collection.
The GI Bill helped him in acquiring a chemical engineering degree from Fenn College (now Cleveland State University). This landed him a 35-year career as a staff engineer with the Lubrizol Corp. from which he took early retirement in 1986 to care full-time for Mary who was increasingly in need of help during her 34-year battle with multiple sclerosis.
His interests were many, including computer programming, geography and memoir writing. He and Mary enjoyed many car trips across most of the lower 48 states, sometimes with various children and also with Ralph’s sister Helen Mickens and Mary’s sister Ruth Riley. The two of them managed to visit the continental 49 states; Ralph eventually checked off Hawaii.
The family is extremely grateful for all the heartfelt thoughts and prayers. A special thank you is extended to all the wonderful caregivers at the Commons of Providence Assisted Living Facility and the Providence Care Rehab Center.
A combined graveside service for the interment of Ralph’s and Mary’s cremains is to be held next Spring at All Souls Cemetery, Chardon OH.