Ralph Dalebout OBITUARY
Ralph Dalebout made his final transition on the morning of June 22, 2024, succumbing to his battle with pulmonary fibrosis. Ralph was raised in Salt Lake City as the second child of Arthur and Gladys Dalebout. Ralph grew up admiring and following in the footsteps of his older brother Ron while building a close relationship with his younger sister Dana. He married Sharon Pringle in 1962. After marriage, the young couple set out for Washington state where they started a family of three. Employed from the age of 12, Ralph found his professional home at IBM, where he would spend his career making lifelong friends that he treasured dearly. During his career with IBM, the family made homes in Washington, California, New York, and West Germany. Ralph and Sharon moved to Boulder, Colorado after their kids went to college and spent his favorite years living there before returning to Utah near the end of life to be closer to family. Ralph provided his family with everything needed, and then some. He equipped his friends and family with recycled and refurbished treasures from his garage sale adventures. All of his grandchildren had bikes and skis procured by Grandpa through adulthood. His garage sale gifts always brought surprises to family gatherings concealed in brown paper bags. Ralph was admired for placing everyone at ease with selfless humor and humility that would lift the spirits of others. A lifelong athlete Ralph enjoyed racquetball with friends, skiing with his grandchildren, and cycling with family. He loved participating in community traditions like Oktoberfest, Volksmarches, the Bolder Boulder, RAGBRAI, and other endeavors. As an example of Ralph’s personality, he continued to dress for participation in Boulder, Colorado’s “Ride to Work” day for a decade after retirement all for the reward of a free breakfast. Ralph made blood donation a priority in his life, donating over 30 gallons in his lifetime for the benefit of those without good health. His unique sense of humor and contagious laugh with his trademark smile lifted others right through the final weeks of his life. Dogs held a special place in Ralph’s heart and his home was a well-known stop for his neighborhood furry friends to get a treat. Ralph graduated from East High School in Salt Lake City, then earned an Engineering degree at the University of Utah, and an MBA from the University of Washington. Ralph was proud to be a Kappa Sigma Fraternity member at the University of Utah and serve his country as part of the US Army Reserve (96th Infantry Division). He is survived by his wife Sharon Dalebout, children Rebecca, Bruce, and Michael (Suzanne), brother Ron, sister Dana, and his cat Timmy. He was also blessed with six grandchildren (Lindsay, Taylor, Marley, Hayden, Cody, and Maddox) and three great-grandchildren. Ralph is also survived by his nieces and nephews who were very dear to him, Andrea, Chad (Di), Deb (Tom), Kris (Paul), and Will. Instead of flowers, the family kindly requests contributions be made in his honor to an animal-related charity. There will be a private family gathering on July 5, 2024, followed by a virtual ‘Celebration of Ralph’ on the weekend of July 6-7, 2024. We ask everyone to attend garage sales this weekend and share your photos or share a picture enjoying a garage sale gift of Ralph from the past using #celebrationofralph. We hope by sharing our experiences collectively, we can give everyone Ralph has touched everywhere, the chance to show their appreciation.
