Moderation Test

Moderation passed away peacefully on September 25, 2026 in Richardson, Texas, surrounded by his family. Ralph was born on May 16, 1933 in Garland County, Arkansas, near Hot Springs, as number six of the eventual nine children of Henry and Eva Minton. He is preceded in death by his parents, seven siblings (Lois, Clarence, Bernice, Christine, Carl, Don, and Fred), and his wife, Mary Lane Tunnell Minton "Lane". Ralph is survived by his three daughters, Michele (Shannon), Angela (Marshall), and Tiffany (Claus), his three step-children, Gracie, Jannae (Ed), T.W. (Christianne), 15 grandchildren and 6 great-grandchildren, as well as his sister Dorothy. Ralph spent his childhood on his family's farm, where his father worked the farm and his mother was a devoted homemaker. He joked about being weighed in at birth on a chicken scale in the barn, which is actually a true story. After graduating from Hot Springs High School in 1951, Ralph enlisted in the United States Air Force. He served for over eight years, being stationed in Colorado Springs, Germany, and other parts of Europe. After being honorably discharged from the Air Force, Ralph began what would be a 30+ year career with the US government, retiring in 1997 as the USDA Compliance Officer/Supervisory Investigator of a nine state region. Ralph immensely enjoyed his meaningful career conducting covert investigations of USDA food programs, and was instrumental in operationalizing the electronic version of food stamps. As a teenager, Ralph learned to play golf, working as a caddy at the course inside the grounds of the Oaklawn Race Track in Hot Springs, beginning a lifetime love of the sport. He continued to play golf well into his late 80s with a group of golf buddies who would meet weekly. Ralph enjoyed reading, particularly historical non-fiction and historical biographies. He loved to travel and visited all but two of the U.S. states and over 50 foreign countries. Ralph and Lane enjoyed their retirement years prior to her death in 2014– they were active in their church, Chapel Hill United Methodist, traveled extensively, were members of a square and round dancing group the "Dixie Chainers", as well as book clubs, dinner groups, and enjoyed attending live theater. He stressed the value of education to his daughters and was proud of their academic achievements. Ralph will be remembered for his sense of humor, punctuality, extreme organization and loving kindness. A visitation will be held on Friday, October 2nd from 5-7pm at Restland Funeral Home with a graveside service planned for Saturday, October 3rd at 10am. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to The The Parkinson's Foundation.

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