Tuesday, March 3, 2015
The Eulogy of Ralph R Gilpin-----Wriiten by Carol Gilpin-Shannon with help of the words written in a story of my dad by Ralph R Gilpin(written in 2008)........Born in Dunmore PA june 17 1926 The youngest of 4 children.Harold,Beaulah,Betty (Elizabeth) and Ralph. His Father Roscoe Gilpin worked for the Hudson Coal CO. as Auditor..In 1929 the Great Depression Started. His father was given a choice og going home or moving to Lyon Mt. to work. ( Both companies were subsidaries of the Deleware & Hudson Railroad Company......His father chose to move the Family to Lyon Mt.....Lyon Mountain was a Mining Town.....Growing up during the Depression married men(like his dad) were given 3 days work and single men were laid off. Everyone had a Garden,picked wild Berries and did lots of canning. Potatoes,carrots,apples and other vegetables were stored in Cold Cellar's for Winter use........Many people had a Cow or Pig and most had Chickens..His Family had Chickens..Men Hunted ,Trapped and Fished to help with the food supply.Most People heated with wood they cut themselves.....In the Fall when Ralph was 4, when others went to School Ralph went to,with out telling his Mother. When his Mother found him,the Teacher said"Let him stay,he will probably get tired of it and be willing to stay home." He never did.....Ralph Loved Learning...Growing up in the Hills of Lyon Mt., the winters had plenty of placve to slide and ski. Sleds did not work in thew Ore Sand so they made " Skippers" by nailing a Barrel stave to a block of wood for a Ski and nailing a board on top for a seat.......In the Summers hills made it hard for Biking so he enjoyed playing and Camping in the woods.He would hike 3 Miles to Chateaugay Lake to swim.....He picked lots of Berries for his Mother to can....Ralph joined Band early in Grade School nad played in the School Orchestra called the "Shaggers"........Ralph had a bad Heart and could not play on Sports Teams, so he became Manager of the Baseball and Basket Ball Teams. He played a Scotchman "Adam McPherson" in his senior Play called "Grandpa's Twin Sister". He Graduated from Lyon Mt. High School in 1943.......The Summer after Graduation he worked for the Mining Co. Republic Steel Corp. in the Cinterin plant.In the Fall Enrolled to Rochester Institute of Technology in Rochester NY. for Electrical Enginering. He joined the Choir and Was there and was Elected Vice President of Student Council. While at R>I>T he worked for the Development Lab at Delco a Subsidary of General Motors. In his last year there, he worked for Eastman Kodak Naval Ordinance Division and played in their inter plant Soft Ball League. Graduated from R.I.T. in 1946.........He later worked in Rankin West Texas for The National Geophysical Company of Dallas Texas. He left this job to spend time with his Parents and Visit his Syblings as his father had a had a Heart Attack and Recovered.......In May 1950 Ralph was hired by WW. Getty's Hardware in Rouses Point N.Y.. He became Manager. Later Bought the Business,Merged with a competitor and formed Willette & Gilpin Inc...It became necessary to Notarize Invoices sent to State so Ralph went to Albany NY to take a test and became a Notary.....He was mostly known for his later years with Montgomery Wards Catalogue store in Rouses Point NY and his Employment with The Town of Champlain. In `1959 became a Licence Clerk and also served as Sole Assessor for 6 years. In 1974 was appointed Town Clerk. Ralph Retired in 2005.......In 1997 went to Clinton Community College and took a 16 hr course on Microsoft Windows to become familiar with the Computer...In 1995 was named Citizen of the year by the Northern Tier Chamber of commerce.....Ralph joined Kiwanis in 1978...When his son was in Cub Scouts Mr John West offered him a position of Boy Scout Commissioner and held the position for many years........It was in Rouses Point he Met Theresa Duffy. Married in 1953 and had 6 Children. 5 girls and one boy........As much as my Father was a good Worker and Musician, He Always gave his all for His Family.We Camped,went to Fairs, Amusement Parks and many Picnics, often with Theresa's Brother Charles and their 10 Children Our Father continued Family trips even as we grew older and Loved taking his Grandchildren as well........Our Parents together Enjoyed many years of Square Dancing......The Story of Ralph Gilpin and all he has done can NOT fit into this ONE Eulogy..There is so much more.My Father touched so many Lives. He was Honest and Humble. The 6 of us and all the Grand kids and greats are Honored and Blessed to have had such a great Father.......In the end, he Still had a sharp mind. He did not suffer..He was Trapped in an aging body slowly Loosing his Independence. He was Tired.....So Don't think of this as Good-Bye for this he did NOT say, Think of this as The Black Dot an Old TV that slowly fades away.................Carol Gilpin-Shannon this 28 Th day of February 2015
