Born on October 1, 1921 in Plain Grove Township, PA, he was the son of the late Tony and Marietta (Bucci) Schepp.
On May 8, 1948, Ralph married his beloved wife of 70 years Eleanor (Chill) Schepp. She preceded him in death on October 11, 2018.
In addition to his parents and wife, Ralph was preceded in death by his brother, Tony Schepp; sister, Irma Domenick; sister, Viola Zingaro; and, sister, Flora Volpe.
He is survived by two sisters, Jean Clause and Edith Fazzone, of New Castle, PA; three children, Ralph A. Schepp and his wife, Alice, of Bridgeville, Pa., Mary Lou (Schepp) Langone and her husband, Mark, of The Woodlands, Tx., and Anthony Schepp and his wife, Janet, of Palm Harbor, Fla.; and one grandchild, Kayla Schepp of Lutz, Fla.
Ralph was a devoted husband, father and grandfather. He was always there to lend a helping hand to his children, family, and friends. An avid baseball and football fan, he loved life, meeting new people and enjoyed reading, conversation and reminiscing about his many US Army WWII experiences. Drafted at just 20 years old, he served his country from 1942-1946 as a Technical Staff Sargent in the 11th Armored Division, European Theater, 133rd Ordnance Maintenance Battalion. Family members and friends were captivated when listening to his military experiences.
He often spoke of the battalion’s participation in the Battle of the Bulge. The 133rd Armored Ordnance Maintenance Battalion played a major role in equipping and preparing of the Division for combat. The battalion was responsible to maintain the tanks, trucks and jeeps. They followed a mile behind the tanks in combat as they moved through the European towns to fight the German army. The Ordnance, heavily laden with extra parts, ammunition and equipment followed on the heels of the Division, issuing truckloads of bogie wheels to keep the tanks rolling toward the Bulge.
Another memorable moment took place during the last month of the war, the Division followed the American army as they chased the German army from Linz, Austria. When the war ended, his battalion was among the first personnel to open the gates to Mauthausen Concentration Camp, where they witnessed man’s inhumanity to man.
After the war, Ralph worked several jobs in the steel industry, finishing his career as a skilled crane operator for 26 years at Republic Steel Corporation in Youngstown, Ohio.
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