I send this with a heavy heart. Ralph was a member of the Flywheels of Braintree, MA, and was one of the 1st members I became friendly with when I joined the Flywheels in 1956. He had a nice '32 Yellow Roadster and didn't race, and I had a Hemi dragster and no hot rod, and so I rode shotgun with him for many of the Monday night cruises after our weekly meetings to Nantasket Beach and other '50s Southeast MA hot spots. Ralph degreed at local universities and moved to Florida and had a long career with the Bell Company there. He loved rods and acquired/owned many including the ones in the pics attached, which I photographed while visiting Ralph and his wife Nay Ann a couple of years ago. He had retired and moved to Hendersonville, NC where he acquired and maintained a small fleet of interesting vehicles. The '32 was his first rod, and I photographed it at Sanford, ME in 1958. The others I photographed at his home in NC in 2010. A few years ago I saw one of his cars in a rod mag and tracked him down. The death notice follows, and pics of his cars are attached: ------------------------------<WBR>----------- Ralph Turnburg died of a massive heart attack this morning. Ralph and Nay Ann were out hiking this morning when it happened: Nay Ann performed CPR and the paramedics also performed CPR. Ralph was a good man. He died doing what he liked. Visitation for Ralph will be at Thomas Shepherd Funeral Home on Church Street, Hendersonville, NC on Friday December 7th from 6 to 8 pm. A memorial service will be at 3 pm Saturday December 8th at Forest Lawn Cemetery on Tracy Grove Rd. off Dana Rd, just west of 4 Season Boulevard, Hendersonville, NC. ------------------------------<WBR>------------ Although a New England hot Rodder he was probably known better by rodders in the Southeast. The list keeps getting shorter. Last one out etc. RIP, Ralph Oldtimah
sorry to hear this. I've enjoyed his contribution around here. Condolences to his nearest and dearest from New Zealand
RIP. Sounds like he was a good man and had some good friends such as yourself. Looks like he had an exceptional taste in cars too.
Here's the official death Notice - Quite a guy. oldtimah --------------------------------- Ralph Ernest Turnberg (March 4, 1936 - December 4, 2012) Ralph Ernest Turnberg age 76 of Hendersonville, NC died Tuesday, December 4th, 2012 on the hiking trail of a massive heart attack. He was born March 4th, 1936 in Boston, Massachusetts to the late Carla and Ernest Turnberg. He was an avid hiker and volunteer trail maintainer with the Friday Carolina Mountain Club, Friday work crew Pisgah Forest district and many other districts. He was a scuba diver most of his life, he built a thirty foot sail boat and sailed it to the Bahamas many times. He restored many old cars, starting at the age of 15 and built as many as twenty and was still building them at his present age. His cars have been featured in many magazines and won many awards. He took tae-kwon-do for six years and received his black belt at age fifty five. He finished college at North Eastern University in Boston, Massachusetts. He retired from Southern Bell in 1991 after 21 years of service as an engineer. He formed a derlick breakfast club of car guys and they met every Saturday morning. He was saved and baptized in a Baptist Church in Boston, Mass and was at present attending church at First Baptist Church Hendersonville, NC. He taught Restoration of Cars at Blue Ridge Community College. He was a social and likeable guy and will be truly missed. Graveside services will be held Saturday, December 8, 2012 at 3:00 PM at Forest Lawn Memorial Park. Rev. Phillip Capell will officiate. The family will receive friends Friday evening from 6:00 to 8:00 PM at Thos. Shepherd & Son Funeral Directors. Memorials can be made to the charity of ones choice.
My condolences to all the family and friends he left behind. Please RIP Ralph, may you be in Hot Roddin Heaven!!!
Ralph was one of most unpretentious people I have ever met in my life! I have had the pleasure of working with him on his past few purchases in the hot rod world and had been working on his newest acquisition a SAMCO '39 Cord replica. Ralph was excited to see this project through and truely wanted to revive a piece of automotive history to its former glory. I can only pray his expectations will be met! Ralph was a great guy and good friend, and he will be very much missed!
Sorry to bring this back to the surface but I only found out about Ralph's Passing yesterday at the Charlotte Auto Fair. Ralph was a true old school hot rodder that was a soft spoken walking talking historian. I had only known Ralph & Nay Ann for a few years having met them at the swap meet in Fletcher,North Carolina. It was Ralph that notified me of my friend Roger Rolland's passing away and we sat together at Rogers Memorial service. It was also Ralph that was instrumental in convincing Rogers spouse into giving me the opportunity to buy back the old 32 sedan I sold him so many years ago. He was a true gentleman and I'm sure is missed by many. HRP
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