Ralph proudly served his country as a paratrooper in the 82nd Airborne Division before embarking on a distinguished career as an airline pilot. After retirement, he enjoyed flying, ranching, golfing, and spending time with family and friends. He was also a dedicated member of the First United Methodist Church in Denton, where he served many roles, including trustee, mentor and longtime Sunday School teacher.

Ralph truly lived life to the fullest. He married Patty Slater 70 years ago. They were high school sweethearts having met in the 2nd grade. When Ralph was in school, he’d show Patty the Weekly Reader and say he’d take her to all these marvelous places. They were able to visit 111 countries over their lifetime. Their three children, Candy, Carol, and David, recently celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary in Denton, which was attended by many family and friends. Together, they built a beautiful life.

A natural storyteller, Ralph delighted in sharing amusing and inspiring tales. He often reminisced about his time at Raceland High School, where we was a multi-sport athlete excelling in football, basketball and track. He played basketball for Ashland Junior College and graduated from Ohio University with a degree in Chemistry and Geology.

Ralph was a longtime Boy Scout, earning the prestigious rank of Eagle Scout. This led to him being Waterfront Director at Camp Oyo (Simon Kenton Council) and then having his own troop.

Ralph started flying in July of 1960 with the goal to get on with the airlines. From that day forward, He Was Flying!! He soloed after 4 hours of flight instruction and proceeded to fly 24 different airplanes to acquire enough hours to be accepted with an airline. There were very few commercial pilots who came through being a private pilot, but of course, he did it.

Ralph had a distinguished career as an airline pilot. He started training with Braniff International in Dec. 1964. This was a few years before the colored airplanes and designer flight attendant uniforms. After that, Braniff expanded rapidly, and he quickly rose to the rank of Captain. He was often referred to as the “Boy Captain.” He had started with prop jets and moved up to the Boeing 727. He LOVED flying! He always said, “I would have paid Braniff to fly, but don’t tell them.” He accumulated nearly 20,000 flying hours over his career.

Ralph had the honor of piloting Walter Mondale during his presidential campaign in 1984. Walter spent time in the cockpit with him listening and exchanging ideas. Walter appreciated Ralph’s down home common sense wisdom, as have most of us who knew him.

After the demise of Braniff, he transitioned to a rancher and part-time Amway distributor. Here he found a different calling. He achieved a level where he was able to help, mentor and lead thousands of people. He excelled at this until COVID. That shut down his ability to meet with people. One of the blessings of Amway was it opened up a much greater audience for his many stories.

Ralph was many things to many people—a coach, mentor, Sunday School teacher, cattle rancher, motivational speaker, scout leader, business owner and pilot. But above all, he was a devoted husband, father, grandfather, son, brother, cousin and friend. He often said his greatest accomplishment and legacy was his family. He poured his heart into his children and grandchildren, making sacrifices to be present at their important events. He attended countless activities, from sports and concerts to graduations and weddings, always showing unwavering support and love.

Ralph’s deep faith was evident in the way he lived his life. He shared his beliefs with everyone he met, serving his church and setting an example of integrity and service to the Lord.

Ralph is survived by his loving wife, Patricia Slater of Denton; his sister, Dolores Scherer of South Point, Ohio; his children, Candy Blackmon of Denton; Carol & John Davis of Newark, Texas, and David & Shannon Slater of Pilot Point; his grandchildren, Brad Blackmon, Laurie Blackmon, Sarah and John Mark Tohlen, Jim & Pyper Davis, Hannah & Cal Andrews, Sarah & Derek Kader, Wesley & Victoria Slater, Caleb & Catherine Wardle, Joshua & Morgan Wardle, Victoria Slater, Evan Slater, and Elizabeth Slater; along with 16 great-grandchildren (another on the way) and many cherished friends. He was preceded in death by his parents, Chester and Helen Slater, and his brother, Leo Slater of Raceland.

A memorial service will be held at the First United Methodist Church in Denton on March 15, 2025, at 11 a.m., with a reception to follow. The family welcomes all who knew and loved Ralph to join in celebrating his life.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to FUMC Denton Columbarium Fund or the Simon Kenton Council. Checks made out to Simon Kenton Council should be sent to 807 Kinnear Road, Columbus, OH 43212. Please include a note saying in memory of Ralph Slater- Campership Fund.