Ralph McKinley Thompson

Ralph Thompson, 68, was surrounded by family when he passed away on Thursday, January 19th. His unwavering faith in Jesus Christ, endless optimism and strength, passion for life, and deep love for his family carried him through a relentless eight-year battle with colon cancer.

A Raleigh native, Ralph was born on September 18, 1954 at the old Rex Hospital on St. Mary’s Street. He was the third of four children born to James and Helen Thompson, also locals to the area and founding members of St. John’s Baptist Church. Ralph was deeply connected to both his extended family and his church family and his faith in Jesus shaped his life from a young age. He loved his Raleigh roots and enjoyed watching the city grow and change over the years.

After graduating from Broughton High School, Ralph went on to North Carolina State University where he studied civil engineering. Throughout his time at NC State, Ralph remained connected at St. John’s where he served as a deacon and produced a weekly radio show, both of which brought him immense joy. He also continued his childhood passion for swimming during his early college years as part of the Wolfpack swim team.

During his first job as an engineer with Carolina Telephone, Ralph spent his weekends building a solar water heating system on his parents’ roof. This project was highlighted in a 1978 article by the local paper and foreshadowed his future career in the solar industry. Ralph went on to travel the world through his job with J.A. Jones, working on projects in Japan and Panama before moving back to the States and meeting the love of his life, Sue Ellen Williamson. Not long after getting married, Ralph and Sue Ellen moved abroad together and lived in both Germany and Saudi Arabia while also traveling extensively throughout Europe and Asia. The couple enjoyed scuba diving and dirt bike riding and built a strong community with other ex-patriates living nearby.

Ralph and Sue Ellen relocated back to the States shortly before welcoming their daughter, Jessica into the world. They lived in New Jersey for four years as a young family where they made lifelong friends and were active in the local church. While expecting their second child, Daniel, they moved back to North Carolina to be near family. Shortly after settling down in Raleigh, Ralph’s entrepreneurial spirit moved him to start his own concrete construction and restoration company, Duracon in 1990. Duracon grew to be one of the largest concrete companies in North Carolina. Ralph later started Holocene, a developer of utility-scale solar projects, bringing his solar interest full circle. He worked tirelessly to promote the clean energy industry in North Carolina and beyond, and his leadership caused him to be selected as the chairman of the NC Clean Energy Business Alliance and a board member for the NC Solar Center. Through his business dealings, Ralph made countless friends and gained great pleasure from the connections he made with people.

Throughout over three decades back in Raleigh, Ralph poured his life into the things that mattered most to him. He and Sue Ellen taught Sunday school at Providence Baptist Church for almost twenty years, hosted youth group events and small groups, and built a large network of loving friends. Ralph served as a deacon at Providence and later went on to become an elder at the Summit Church. He was very active in the kids’ lives and schools, leading Odyssey of the Mind teams and Y Guides troops, and serving as the PTA president at Wakefield High School. The door at the Thompson house was always open, and Ralph was a mentor to many of Jess and Dan’s friends. He was also involved in countless boards and community initiatives including Art Space and the healthy schools task force for Wake County. He also worked with and visited multiple ministries abroad including in Kenya and Ethiopia.

Ralph’s greatest earthly joy was truly his family. He loved Sue Ellen fiercely every day of their 43 years together. He was an adoring father and delighted in the small and big moments of Jess and Dan’s lives. Everyone who knew him, whether in his personal or business life was inundated with stories about the people he loved most. Ralph was especially proud to have welcomed three beautiful grandchildren into the world in recent years. He was overjoyed to have earned the title of “Daddy Ralph” from Helen, Blake, and Lara. Together they all enjoyed travel, eating out at local restaurants, enjoying Sue Ellen’s amazing cooking, and spending time at the family mountain retreat in Ashe County, a place of refuge during recent years after his cancer diagnosis.

Ralph lived a full life to the very end, spending his final days encouraging those who came to visit and doing everything he could to point them to the love of Christ. He was adored by all who knew him, but is especially missed by Sue Ellen, Jess and Mike, Helen and Blake, Dan, Sarah, and Lara. His legacy of love continues through the families he leaves behind. He is also survived by his sister, Sandra Thompson; sister-in-law, Kathy Thompson; sister-in-law, Ann Williamson, and her husband, Bern Shen; brother-in-law, Bill Williamson, and his wife, Teresa Williamson; and countless nieces, nephews and cousins. He is preceded in death by his parents, James and Helen Thompson; his brother, Jimmy Thompson; and his sister, Carolyn Bartholomew, and brother-in-law, Ben Bartholomew.

A celebration of Ralph’s amazing life will be held at The Summit Church, Blue Ridge Campus, 3249 Blue Ridge Rd, Raleigh, NC 27612, on Friday, January 27th at 11:30 am with a visitation to follow.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to NeighborHealth Center or The Summit Church.

Services by Brown-Wynne, 300 St. Mary's Street, Raleigh.