Oct. 8, 1923-Oct. 1, 2006
Ralph W. Ellenburg, 82, of Lebanon, died Oct. 1, 2006.
He was born in Corvallis on Oct. 8, 1923 to Geary Ellenburg and Elsie Bennett Ellenburg. He and his family moved from Eugene to Kalispell, Montana in 1960 and he was employed at C & C Plywood until he retired. He remained in Kalispell until January 2006 when he returned to Oregon to be near his family.
He loved hunting, fishing, reading and was a sports enthusiast. He developed a thirst for reading as a young man and was rarely seen without a book, if he wasn’t working, fishing or eating.
After he retired he developed an interest in gardening, something he must have inherited from his mother, and he loved animals. He also enjoyed traveling internationally and said that Africa and Egypt were his favorites, if he had to pick.
He served in the armed forces in Attu, Alaska in the Aleutian Islands during World War II. He was also a lifelong member of the Elks Lodge.
He is survived by his daughter, Tawny Sportsman and her husband Jon of Sweet Home; and one granddaughter.
A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 8, which would have been his 83rd birthday, at the Seventh-day Adventist Church, on the corner of 4th & Holley in Sweet Home. Prior to the memorial service, a gathering will be held at 12:30 p.m. at Century Fields Assisted Living in Lebanon, where he resided, for a time of remembrance with his special friends.
Donations may be made to your local Humane Society in his memory.