Ralph Perry Moore

AIKEN, SC - Mr. Ralph Perry Moore, 78, passed away suddenly Tuesday, June 4, 2019. Ralph was born in Gary, Indiana. April 5, 1941. Ralph was a devoted husband to the love of his life for 44 years, Sarah Hart Moore.  His beloved wife Sarah predeceased him in 2016.  Ralph was a loving father to Stephen Hart Moore, Melissa Moore Bonafonte (Ralph Bonafonte) and Katy Moore Hartnett (Willie Hartnett), and a doting grandfather to Ainsley and Jameson Moore, Sophia and Rafi Bonafonte and Win Hartnett. He was the eldest of three and cherished his relationships with his sister Susan Moore Sullivan and his brother Robert Moore. His father Perry Brewer Moore and mother Marion Jayne (Wilson) Moore predeceased him.  After moving to Edina, MN from Duluth, MN, Ralph attended Benilde High School, St Louis Park, MN, Class of 1959. An avid outdoorsman, he led canoe trips through the great Boundary Waters of northern Minnesota.  He also worked on a dude ranch in Wyoming, rounding up horses and leading campers into the Tetons for overnight excursions.  Ralph attended the University of Arizona and majored in telecommunications, which would become his lifelong passion and career.  He was a DJ for the local radio station and loved to tell stories of the famous people that he had the chance to interview, Clint Eastwood being his favorite.  He also liked to brag that he was the best at reading into the music before the lyrics started.  Ralph was a devout Catholic and spent much of his free time at the Catholic Newman Center in Tucson while he was a student.  He met Sarah in Tucson and they were married in her hometown of Hudson, Ohio.  Soon after they moved to Las Vegas, NV where Steve and Melissa were born and then to Concord, CA where Katy was born.  They spent the better part of 22 years in California before moving to Windsor, CO and then finally to Aiken, SC.  Ralph was unwavering in his faith until the day he died.  With each new city they called home, he became an integral part of the parish.  He loved being a lector as it allowed him to use his beautiful, calming voice to spread the word of God.   In lieu of flowers, please send donations to St. Mary Help of Christians Church, P.O. Box 438, Aiken, SC 29802 or The Hitchcock Woods Foundation, P.O. Box 1702, Aiken, SC 29802. A Requiem Mass will be held on Saturday, August 17, 2019, at 1:00 PM at the old St. Mary Help of Christians Church on Park Avenue in Aiken, SC. A reception will be held following the service at St. Mary Help of Christians Church Mother Teresa Hall, 125 Union St., SE Aiken, SC 29801. SHELLHOUSE FUNERAL HOME, INC., 924 HAYNE AVE., AIKEN, SC 29801.     To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Ralph Perry Moore, please visit our flower store.