Ralph Eugene Depp, 91, of Punxsutawney, passed away quietly on Sunday, February 25, 2019, at the Punxsutawney Area Hospital surrounded by his family.
He was born on February 3, 1928, in Hamilton, Pennsylvania a son of the late Harry Wade Depp
and Jane Larue (Buchannan) Depp. On May 25, 1980, he married Linda Lee Denton. Together they celebrated thirty- eight years of marriage. She preceded him in death on August 18, 2018.
Mr. Depp was a Master Chief Petty Officer in the United States Navy, the highest enlisted rank constituting just one percent of the enlisted force. Master Chief Depp had a long and honorable career serving his country in three wars spanning over 30 years before his retirement from military service in 1966. After retiring from the U.S. Navy, Mr. Depp fulfilled a childhood dream of owning and operating his own farm working at it until finally retiring from farming in 1990. Besides his love for farming, Ralph had many other passions and was a particularly good beekeeper. As such, Ralph had many beehives and took great pleasure processing and selling the honey locally, which he personally delivered to his many beloved customers.
In addition to farming and beekeeping, the Lord called Ralph to preach in 1971. In response to his calling, he attended Liberty University, founded by Dr. Jerry Fallwell eventually serving many churches in the local area. Although Ralph served a number of congregations, he spent much of his time serving the Lord at Sandy Valley Church in Reynoldsville, where he met and fell in love with his wife Linda. In addition to the Sandy Valley Church, Ralph also had a special place in his heart for The Crossroads Church, also known as Free Grace Gospel Church in Marion Center. Ralph’s long journey in life took him to many places making many new friends along the way. Ralph was a humble man who was a peacekeeper, a farmer, a beekeeper, and a pastor. This gentle man with a tender, loving, and kind spirit is now home with his Lord and will be sorely missed by all who had the pleasure of knowing and loving him.
The most important things in Ralph’s life was God, Country, and his family.
Surviving relatives include three daughters, Christine Reinhart and husband Larry, of Punxsutawney, Jennifer Forrest, of Punxsutawney, and Joann Landry of State College; two grandchildren, Joshua Reinhart, and Jordan Landry; one sister, Helen Depp of Punxsutawney; and one brother, Raymond Depp and wife Eleanor of Reynoldsville.
Preceded in death by his parents, five brothers, James Depp; Paul Depp; Irwin Everett Depp; Byron Depp; and Russell L. Depp; and three sisters, Wilda Jane Ross; Lucille Anderson; and Susan Stanious.
Friends will be received from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. on Wednesday, February 27, 2019, at the Shumaker Funeral Home, Inc., Punxsutawney. A funeral service will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Thursday, February 28, 2019, at the funeral home officiated by Pastor Don Jones. Interment will be at the Desire Cemetery.
Online condolences may be sent by visiting www.shumakerfh.com.
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