Ralph Weston

Ralph E. Weston
July 24, 1939-January 24, 2021

Ralph was born in Grundy, Virginia, the second child of Estil Weston, a coal miner, and his wife, Rheadell. Rheadell was so opposed to Ralph going to work in the coal mines that she agreed for Ralph to enlist in the Air Force on graduation from high school, the day after Ralph turned 17.

After three years in the Air Force, Ralph entered St. Mary's University in San Antonio, Texas.  After graduation, Ralph went to work for Southwestern Bell, where he worked in St. Louis and Houston.

During this time, Ralph and his first wife, Beverly, had three sons, Mark (deceased), Michael Thomas, and Rusty.  Between them, Ralph's sons had 8 grandchildren.

Ralph worked for many years as a Manager with Southwestern Bell in Houston, until he was given the opportunity to lobby for Southwestern Bell in Austin.  He lobbied for Southwestern Bell, AT&T, and served many clients as a private lobbyist.

Ralph came to love golf and he played twice at the British Open Rota courses with his friends from Austin.  He also loved hiking and he and his third wife, Caroline, hiked throughout Europe, Peru, Australia and New Zealand.  His most challenging hikes were the coast-to-coast walk, which required 14 days of hiking over 190 miles and a days' hike on the Inca Trail to Aguas Calientes and Machu Picchu.

In his retirement years, Ralph had to give up golf because of his bad back, but he was still eager for trips to Utah, Alaska and a cruise on the Hudson River.

In retirement, Ralph moved to Longhorn Village, where he chaired the Texas Exes scholarship committee, and served on the Longhorn Foundation and the vestry at St. Luke's on the Lake.

He died from Interstitial Lung Disease, but even at the end, Ralph has grateful for the opportunities and life that he had.