Mr. Ralph Burton Chalfant Jr.'s Obituary
Ralph Burton Chalfant, Jr., 97, passed away on November 22, 2017 in Arlington, Texas. He was born in Wilmington, New Castle County, Delaware on March 10, 1920 and was the firstborn son of Ralph Burton Chalfant, Sr. and Edith Elizabeth Ponsell Chalfant. He graduated from Henry C. Conrad High School in Wilmington, Delaware.
Ralph married Ivy Loyce Brown on September 28, 1939. They were married for 30 years and had four children: Carole Ann Chalfant, Carl Burton Chalfant, Ralph Boyd Chalfant and Elizabeth Olive Chalfant. Ivy passed away at the age of 49 on March 3, 1970.
That same year, God blessed him with another wonderful woman. He met and fell in love with Minnie Williams, a widow with two grown children – Janice Williams and Alan Gregg Williams. Ralph and Minnie married on January 1, 1971 and enjoyed 45 years together. They built a home together and blended two families. They both were active members of Park Place United Methodist Church for over 40 years. Minnie passed on October 4, 2015, and he was never the same after that. His heart never recovered from losing her.
Ralph was very intelligent and loved to read. He never had the opportunity to go to college, but that didn’t keep him from constantly learning and applying himself. He started his career in the footsteps of his father and his grandfather before him at DuPont as a Foreman in Materials Handling. Ralph said he was the youngest Foreman DuPont ever had. He worked for DuPont many years relocating to Washington State, West Virginia, Louisiana and Texas. Ralph also worked for Rohm and Haas, Rheem Manufacturing, Texas Butadiene, Atlantic Richfield and others before retiring in 1978. Ralph was a Past President of the International Material Management Society.
Ralph’s early life was during the Great Depression, and he learned many skills and trades from his father – repairing automobiles and just about anything mechanical. He assisted with building his family’s home in Delaware at a young age. Ralph loved working with his hands and was a very talented carpenter, boat builder and model maker. He loved the water and he built several sail boats during his life. Ralph also was a talented furniture maker and refinished many antique furniture pieces. He was an avid model maker and was a member of Gulf Coast Ship Modeler’s Society.
Survivors include brother, Harold Chalfant and wife Janet of Wilmington, Delaware; Carole Ann Mather and husband David of Houston, Texas; Carl Chalfant and wife Janet, of Cleveland, Texas; Ralph Chalfant and wife Karyle, of Temple, Texas; Elizabeth “Beth” Skinner and husband Gary of Alvarado, Texas; Janice Williams Hull and husband, Don, of Frisco, Texas and Gregg Williams and wife Dottie, of Arlington, Texas; 8 grandchildren, 21 great grandchildren and numerous nieces and nephews.
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