Ralph Edwards Leistritz 05/09/1926-08/13/2010 Ralph Edward Leistritz was born in Lakeside, Nebraska, May 9, 1926 to Alma Ruth Boots and Edward Valentine Leistritz. He had one older sister, Ruby. His family lived and worked in Nebraska. Ralph finished his high school education at an agricultural college, but he was not really interested in the family farms and ranches. During World War II, he went to Denver to have his physical to join the Army and was told "go have fun son, you won't live to see 30." Soon after, he arrived in Kennewick, riding an old Indian motorcycle and looking for the afore mentioned fun. He met a lot of other young men who also rode motorcycles and raced cars. One of them was dating a young woman from Patterson, WA and he encouraged Ralph to come along and meet her sisters. The rebel on the bike met the farmers' daughter and the sparks flew. He married Edith Alexander in 1948 and quickly had a daughter and later, a son. He went to work, as a deckhand, on the Patterson Ferry, to support his family, not realizing he had started down a long path of working on the Columbia River. He became a pilot, working ferries at Vernita and Richland. In the late 50's, he moved his family to Maryhill, WA to manage the ferry there until the bridge at Biggs, Oregon was completed. The family returned to Kennewick in the early sixties. He went to pilot the ferry at the Lower Monumental Dam project. When that job was finished, he worked as a millwright at the Boise Cascade Paper Mill. The river called to him. He came back to it to work for Pacific Inland Navigation, and stayed with the company through several name changes, until he retired. He never learned to swim. Ralph and Edith joined the Moose Lodge, in the sixties, and it became the center of our lives. Ralph achieved the honored Pilgram Degree in 1990 and was recently named a Pilgrim of the Year, by a grateful Lodge community. The couple came from two large families and keep in touch with almost everyone, to some extent. They also amassed a network of devoted friends that stretched from one side of the country to the other. They always said they shouted at each other, on a regular basis, just so they could kiss and make up. They also said they had never considered a divorce, but pondered murder a few times. Edith passed away a year ago. They were married for sixty-two years, and never stopped going forward. Ralph and Edith were preceded in death by their parents, Ralph's sister Ruby, their son Mike, son-in-law Joe and grandson Bobby. They are survived by Edith's eight brothers and sisters, daughter Kay and daughter-in-law Patty, grandson Paul and family, wife Jolee daughters Baylee and Abby, granddaughter Trish, grandsons Kris and Sean and granddaughter Stephanie. Also, by a multitude of family and friends who will never forget them. They are together again. A celebration of life will take place at the Pasco Moose Lodge, Thursday, August 19, 2010 at 5:00 PM.