Ralph Terrence McGrath

Ralph Terrence McGrath, 93, of St. Albans, joined his beloved wife, Mary Elizabeth, in their eternal home on May 4, 2015. He was born May 12, 1921 to the late Joseph Terrence and Laura Darlington McGrath of Kanawha City. He was preceded in death by sisters, Jane McGrath and Rosemary Vickers and grandson, Alvie Gadd Jr. Ralph retired from Libbey-Owens Ford Glass Factory. While working there, he built a house for his 11 children and his wife, Mary. Our Dad was a hard working man who worked no matter how long or hard the job was until he completed it. He left a legacy of honesty and true work values to his sons and daughters. Surviving are sons, Pat McGrath, Joe (Tracy) McGrath, Steve McGrath, Jeff (Dee) McGrath, Chris (Regina) McGrath, all of St. Albans, and Tim (Sandy) McGrath of Braselton, GA; daughters, Liz Gadd, Becky (Rick) Baire, Sheila Shirk, all of St. Albans, Maggie (Warren) Dove of Inverness, FL and Cindy (Terry) Shintaku of HI; 23 grandchildren; 26 great-grandchildren and two great-great grandsons. He was a member of St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church where he sang in the choir for 60 years. His love of singing was a great “joy” to him and his family. You might be “Lucky” and hear him sing “Danny Boy” or many of his other favorite Irish songs. God truly blessed our family by giving us the “Greatest Dad” in the world and He will always be our HERO!! “May the road rise to meet you. May the wind be always at your back. May the sun shine warm upon your face. The rains fall soft upon your fields. And until we meet again, MAY GOD HOLD YOU IN THE PALM OF HIS HAND. Mass of Christian burial will be 11:00 a.m., Thursday, May 7, 2015 at St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church, 1023 Sixth Avenue, St. Albans with the Rev. Father Patrick McDonough officiating. Burial will follow in Mt. Olivet Catholic Cemetery, Charleston. Rosary will begin at 4:30 p.m., Wednesday, May 6, 2015 at Casdorph & Curry Funeral Home, 110 B Street, St. Albans. A gathering of family and friends will be from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Wednesday at the funeral home. The family would like to send our love and heartfelt appreciation to Heidi, Sonja, Bobbi, Tamra, Cheryl and Kim for their compassion and for taking care of our Dad like he was their “Dad”. They would also like to give a special thanks to Dr. Tom Griffith, Dr. Stevens and Gloria for always being there for Dad. In lieu of flowers, please make donations to St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church in memory of Ralph McGrath or HospiceCare, 1606 Kanawha Blvd. W., Charleston, WV 25312-2536.