Effingham, IL. Ralph passed away on Wednesday July 18, 2018. Ralph was preceded in death by his father in 1943 and his mother in 1982. He leaves
his wife Kay F. (Pruemer of Teutopolis, IL) Lee; son Christopher (Christy) J. Lee and grandson Adrian C.
Lee of Eureka, IL; and son Patrick (Dianna) R. Lee and grandson Jonathan R. Lee and granddaughter
Maya Carmen Lee of San Antonio, TX. He was a loving husband, father, and grandfather. He was
extremely proud of his family and adored his grandchildren. He was a graduate of St. Anthony's HS class
of 1957 in Effingham, IL. He attended St. Ambrose College, Davenport, lA, and then the University of
Illinois. He served in US Army during the Vietnam era. He retired from Caterpillar Inc. in 2002 after 36
years working at the Caterpillar Peoria Proving Grounds (PPG) as a Senior Test and Development
Engineer. He then worked as a contract Project Engineer at Caterpillar PPG for Belcan Engineering and
retired again in 2007. He worked part time on various projects in years following. He was a member of
St. Mark Catholic Church in Peoria for many years, frequently volunteering his time and serving on
several committees. He was involved with the Boy Scouts of America in Troop 225 at St. Mark's for 14
years, serving in various capacities including Scout Master for 8 years and guiding both of his sons to the
rank of Eagle Scout. He was an avid fan of baseball and the St. Louis Cardinals. He loved woodworking
and carving and was president of the Morton Area Woodcarvers Association for several years. Ralph
was a kind and gentle soul who loved spending time with friends and family. He always had a kind word
for a stranger and a good story to tell. He was loved deeply by friends and family and will be missed by
all that knew him.
A visitation will be held 4:00-7:00 pm on Monday July 23,2018 at Davison Fulton Woodland Chapel.
A Funeral mass will be held 10:00am on Tuesday July 24, 2018 at St. Marks in Peoria with a visitation
being held an hour prior, officiated by Monsignor Brownsey.
Burial will follow at Resurrection Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers donations may be made to St. Marks School or St Jude.
