On Monday, October 31, 2022, J. Thomas "Tom" Ralph of Timonium, Maryland, passed away at the age of 90 surrounded by family. Tom is survived by his beloved wife of 46 years, Linda Whittington Ralph, daughter Jennifer Lin Peavey, son-in-law Christopher Daniel Peavey, granddaughter Norah Grace Peavey (who called him "Poppy") and numerous nephews and nieces. He was the adored son of Jean Graham Ralph and Alexander Boyd Ralph, and the nephew of Bert Suter, who was a big part of his life.

Tom served in the US Army for four years as a helicopter pilot and then had a 30-year career at Bethlehem Steel in quality assurance followed by a part-time job for more than a decade at M. S. Willet, Inc. He arrived to work early and stayed until the job was done, not stopping for a lunch break and never too proud to do any job asked of him.

His passions were many - chief among them was his love of gardening. He always seemed to have his hands in the soil and he built a beautiful terraced garden with the rocks that he dug from the yard. His soil was delicately sifted and amended and although he had such frustration with growing roses, each year he tried again. He loved visits from his family, doing the crossword puzzle on the deck with Linda, watching British detective shows with Linda in the evening, listening to jazz, watching sports and playing bridge on Saturday nights.

He would fondly recall his fishing trip with his father to the Eastern Shore, his hitchhiking trip to Mexico with his brother and helping his mother with her dance instruction business. He admired his grandfather Thomas Graham, after whom he was named.

He will be remembered for his willingness to drop everything and take Jen and her friends to get snowballs, the first to grab the check at a restaurant, someone who was always donating blood, the one who always made sure the gas tank was full and wife and daughter had cash in their wallets. He never wanted to discuss his medical problems and would rather chat with medical staff about their families, especially if their children played sports. When Linda tried to discuss feelings with him, he'd say, "Oh, you are getting into the tall grass!"

In spite of his handicapped state which began in 2010 and got progressively worse, Tom didn't complain. He remained stoic and found pleasure in what he could - Ravens games, crosswords, fresh raspberries in his Cheerios, chocolate, a hot cup of coffee from Linda and a conversation with his daughter which he ended each time by saying "Okay, bird, I think we've covered the waterfront." He will be profoundly missed.