Ralph Martin Appel Jr. was born in St. Louis to Ralph Martin Appel Sr. and Antoinette Wuthernow Appel on 28 July 1913
Ralph Martin Appel 1914
The early part of his life at 3007 North Taylor Avenue in St. Louis
Ralph with first car 1917
3007 North Taylor
Appel Home
Ralph graduated from Beaumont High School in 1931.
Graduation Picture
1931
1931
In the mid 30 he met his future wife Virginia Pointer when his friend Bob Lytle brought him to St. Louis county to meet a girlfriend of Virginia. They were married on 26 November 1936 at one of Virginia's Aunts home in St. Johns. The first years of their marriage was spent in North St. Louis where they attended Cote Brilliant Presbyterian Church and live in a flat at 4455 A Elmbank. This was in the neighborhood of Ralph's boyhood home.
Appel Pointer Wedding Picture
In 1950 they purchase a home in Ferguson which was to become the Appel home for the next 50 years. Over the years they had four sons David Lee, Robert Ralph, Donald Martin, and Gary Allen.
Appel home in Ferguson
Ralph first worked as a service representative for Kaufman Box Lunch. Through his aunt and uncle Olga and Charles Campbell he was able to secure a job at the Husmann factory. At night and weekends he would work for Mr. Close at Husmann Distributing putting in locker plants and servicing equipment. During the war,
Ralph was deferred to put in refrigeration equipment on service bases from Virginia Beach to Corpus Christie. In 1947, Ralph left the factory and went to work for the distributorship full time. Mr. Close later sold the controlling interest to the Grundlers. Ralph and Virginia bought 26.4% of the shares.
Ralph In Texas
This is the thermometer that he carried for years to measure the temperature in the Hussmann cases he sold.
When not at work or raising four boys, Ralph was very active in the church and community. Ralph was an Elder, Deacon and Trustee in the Ferguson Presbyterian Church and a member and scoutmaster for the Boys Scouts. He was active in the Indian Guides as both a member and Chief as well as many other
civic and charitable organizations throughout his life.
Ralph in Indian Guide Uniform
In the 1950 the family began taking yearly trips to Panama City Beach Florida for many years staying at Seakove Inn. Ralph enjoyed his yearly day of deep sea fishing.
Seakove Inn
Panama City, Florida
Panama City, Florida
He had a great interest in woodworking and carved his own totem for the pole in his Indian Guide troup. He loved model trains, working in the yard and barbequing.
Totem carved by Ralph
Painted by Virginia
Painted by Virginia
After seeing a tree house exhibit at Northland shopping center at the time of the release of the movie Swiss Family Robinson, he decided to build a tree house for his kids in the back yard. As there was no tree large enough, he decided to make some. This was the same time that they were adding lanes to Florissant road and cutting down some of the larger old trees. He rescued four of them and sunk them in concrete in the yard. He then built the tree house and covered it with wood rescued from an old barn.
Tree House built by Ralph
Many year later he built a number of ship models
Ship model buit by Ralph
Ralph worked at Hussmann Distributing for twenty-five years
serving as the Vice President. He was an exceptional draftsman and drafted plans for the layouts of many of the grocery stores built in St. Louis in the fifties and sixties.
Ralph in office at Hussmann
He contracted a rare disease in 1971 and passed away July 25 1971. He is buried at Memorial Gardens in St. Louis County, Missouri.
Appel Monument
Memorial Gardens
St. Louis County, MO
Memorial Gardens
St. Louis County, MO
