Ralph Travise Jr., 75, peacefully passed away on August 5th at his residence in the presence of his loving family. He was born in Ohio and lived and worked there for many years until he moved to Jonesborough, Tennessee 12 years ago. He was the son of the late Ralph Travise Sr. and Eleanor Bliss Travise Thomas. He was preceded in death by his sister June Travise O’Connor and his brother Ronald Travise. He is survived by his wife of 53 years, Doreen Janas Travise, his son Ralph Travise (Shannon), his daughter Christy Travise Charvat (Chris), three grandsons, Collin Charvat, Brandon Travise and Elliot Travise, his sister Carol Travise Maxwell and several nieces and nephews.
He proudly served his country in the United States Navy aboard the USS Enterprise from 1964 until 1967. After being discharged from the Navy, he worked at Young Security Services in Elyria, Ohio as a dedicated locksmith for 38 years until his retirement in 2008.
He enjoyed practicing Tai Chi and yoga, hiking, fishing, playing pickleball and working in his yard. Ralph especially loved riding his bicycle and zipping up and down the hills of his neighborhood. Ralph truly loved spending time with his family and friends, and he is fondly remembered for always giving a helping hand to anyone who needed one. He enjoyed travelling and assisted his wife when she took students and other adults to England, France, Italy and Spain. He and his wife also travelled to Ireland, Canada, Mexico and many places in the United States. Ralph was extremely talented in working with stained glass and made many stained-glass pieces for his family and friends. He also created beautiful stained-glass windows for his home.
Ralph was a member of Boones Creek Christian Church, and his family would like to thank his BCCC family for their extraordinary kindness during these past few months. Sincere gratitude also goes out to the truly wonderful friends who supported Ralph and his family in so many ways throughout this difficult time. And lastly, a special thank you goes out to everyone from Avalon Hospice of Johnson City for their compassion, support and excellent care.
Ralph’s wish was that there would be no service, but if anyone would like to honor his memory, donations can be made in his name to Avalon Hospice of Johnson City or the American Cancer Society.