A visitation will be held on Friday, May 20, 2022 at Memory Chapel of Tuscaloosa, beginning at 10AM, followed immediately by Funeral Services at 11AM at the funeral home, with Kevin Roberts officiating. Graveside services will be held at 1:00PM, Friday, May 20, 2022 from Forkland Cemetery. Services are under the direction of Memory Chapel, a Dignity Memorial provider.
Ralph was preceded in death by his parents James and Merveline Speegle and brother in law George Davis. He is survived by his wife Terri Speegle; sons: Tyler William Speegle and Justin Ray Speegle; brothers: Tony (Terri) Speegle and Calvin Speegle; sister: Trenella Davis; nieces: Jessica (Joel) Cornett, Amber (Matthew) Mitchell, Susanna Speegle, Heather Russell; nephews: Shelby and Kristy Speegle (Clifton James, John Luker, William Shelby) Stuart and Jessica Wilson (Emma and Sawyer), Josh Wilson (Alayna and Saylor) Brandon and Amanda Jones (Blakely and Ty), Lucas and Brittany Grantham (Hadley Jane, Palmer Lee). Serving as Active Pallbearers will be:Carleton (Buddy) Pickel, Alan Montgomery, Jeff Clark, Craig Bradley, Jeff Makemson and Brian Heaton. The family wishes to recognize: James (Buddy) Holt, Jimmy Lee Harper, Clifton Odum Jr., Byron Doster, Jimmy Lee, Kenny Rice, Keith Durham and 'The Silverbacks' as Honorary Pallbearers.
Ralph William Speegle was born February 12, 1957 in Cullman, AL and grew up in Demopolis, AL where many lifelong friendships were made. After graduating from Demopolis High School, Ralph worked at Borden Chemical Plant for several years. Deciding on a career change, Ralph attended the University of Alabama and received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication in 1986. Although his original plan was to work as a postal inspector, he met Terri and decided to stay in Tuscaloosa and start a family. They married Sept 17, 1988. Their first son, Tyler, was born in 1992 and their second son, Justin, was born in 1994. While Tyler and Justin attended daycare, Ralph became well known by the staff. Terri would frequently get calls to see if they should wake Ralph because he had fallen asleep on the giant beanbag with his boys for naptime. He spent every off day hanging out with his boys, and he loved them every day of every year.Spending time with his brothers and sister meant another day for a selfie or group photo.
While time spent with Tony was probably centered around a sporting event, time with Calvin meant working on Ralph's to-do list and an occasional fishing trip. He relied on Trenella to organize family gatherings and impromptu lunches. Ralph made many road trips with his truck and trailer to pick up bargains that Nella and his sister-in-law Tammi found at an estate sale. All of his nieces, nephews, great nieces and great nephews had a special place in his heart.
Ralph never used his degree formally, but he sure used those skills every day. He never seemed to meet a stranger and would start up a conversation with anyone, anytime. Ralph could always find something positive in any situation. He wanted everyone to be happy and he found subtle ways to do that. He loved sending his friends cards and texts with a special message, flowers to brighten smiles of special office staff, money to kids who could spell a word correctly, and treating friends to lunch.
Over the span of his career as a Letter Carrier for the Post Office, Ralph made many friends at work and on his various routes. It wasn't unusual for him to get a call from someone on his route about their mail while on a day off, but he always took the time to stop and help. Ralph loved making their day better.
Ralph was a sports fan to say the least, and sports trivia was always a topic of conversation at work, home, or just talking with friends. If you were a fan of music, he had a trivia question for that too. He always said he was full of useless knowledge but had fun quizzing his friends.
Ralph also coached little league baseball for many years where he made long lasting friendships with many of his players and their families.
After 32 years of federal service, Ralph retired from the Post Office. He and Terri began traveling, fishing and even built a cabin for family retreats. On their many road trips to visit Tyler in Utah, they were entertained by listening to Justin's music. Nothing pleased Ralph more than telling everyone how proud he was of Ty and J and all of their accomplishments.
Whenever possible, he spent time at the cabin hanging out with friends and family, cooking out, fishing or just relaxing. If fishing was an option, Ralph was ready to go. Crappie was his favorite. If you ever made
it to a fish fry, you might have noticed that Ralph labeled every bag with the type of fish, date caught, who caught them, who caught the most, and a smiley face.
Ralph "the Retired Mailman" has left us all with memories that will last a lifetime.
Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.MemoryChapelFuneralHome.com for the Speegle family.
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