TOLEDO- Ralph Walker Utterback, age 82, of Toledo, died Sunday, September 17, 2006 at Mercy Hospital in Des Moines, due to a ruptured aneurysm. Funeral Services will be held at 1:30 P.M. on Thursday, September 21, 2006 at the Christ United Methodist Church Worship Center in Toledo with Pastor Mary Schnepf, officiating. Interment will follow at Woodlawn Cemetery in Toledo. Visitation will be from 4 to 7 P.M. on Wednesday at the Kruse-Phillips Funeral Home in Tama and one hour prior to services Thursday at the church.
Ralph was born on March 7, 1924 at Sigourney, Iowa, the son of Wilford Walker and Elizabeth Goodman Utterback. He lived the first eighteen years of his life in and around Delta, Iowa. He graduated from high school in Delta and then attended William Penn College in Oskaloosa for one year. He served in the United States Army during WWII seeing action in Northern France and Germany, where he was injured and received a Purple Heart. He then attended Coe College in Cedar Rapids and graduated in June 1950 with a secondary teacher's certificate. He was employed at Iowa Electric Light and Power Company for thirty-four years working in Cedar Rapids, Reinbeck, and Toledo, retiring on June 30, 1984. On September 3, 1948 he married Marjorie Lodge of Cedar Rapids and they had three children. Marjorie died in December 1964. On October 18, 1970, he married Esther Emerson, and they resided in Toledo until the time of his death.
Ralph was a member of Hiram of Tyre Masonic Lodge #118 where he was a Past Master, a Lifetime Member of Kiwanis International and was a past Lieutenant Governor, the Kiwanis Foundation, and participated for many years as a counselor at Camp OK. In addition to his service to these organizations Ralph was also an avid gardener, enjoyed crossword puzzles, was a good sport at dominos and cribbage, and also enjoyed fishing. He was a member of Christ United Methodist Church in Toledo, sang in the church choir as well as the Interfaith Mens Chorus. Ralph was a loving and kind family member and friend. He will be greatly missed by all who knew him.
He was preceded in death by his parents, his first wife Marjorie, three sisters and three brothers.
Survivors include his wife Esther; children Beth (Steven) Dowd of Coralville, Barb (Duane) Kuenstling of Waterloo, and Reverend Bill Utterback of Renton, Washington; grandchildren Philip Dowd of Tulsa, Oklahoma, Sarah Dowd of Cedar Rapids, and Shelley (Paul) Beers of Ankeny; and sisters Jean Laskow of Sacramento, California and Nancy Strasser of Oskaloosa.
A memorial fund has been established.