Ralph E. Elwood

Ralph Elwood, 73, after a courageous battle with cancer, passed away June 3, 2019 surrounded by his loving family. He was born in Concord, North Carolina and was the son of the late Reverend Ralph G. Elwood and Helen Furr Elwood. He leaves behind his wife of 51 years Barbara and his children Dawn Ciardi and her husband Joseph of Norwell, Barbra Leahy of Hingham, Theresa Elwood of Quincy and Justin Elwood of Quincy. He was an adoring grandfather to Michael, Sarah, Andrew, Haley, Emily and Braidy and great-grandfather to Micah. He is also survived by his sister Carol “Sue” Branch and his brother James “Ronnie” Elwood, both in North Carolina as well as many nieces and nephews.

Ralph was a Vietnam Veteran who served for many years in the United States Navy and the National Guard. Following his military service, Ralph continued to give his time to his community. For over a decade he dedicated himself to Quincy Youth Baseball as a coach, league president and umpire. One of his greatest joys was coaching his children Theresa and Justin. Later, he served as Commander of the Braintree VFW Post, which enabled him to follow his passion for advocating for veterans in the community. To those who knew him, Ralph will be remembered for his great sense of humor, infectious laugh, gift of story-telling, beloved southern drawl and kind heart. He was a devoted son, husband, father, grandfather, uncle, brother and friend.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Ralph’s memory to the Gary Sinise Foundation, PO Box 368, Woodland Hills, CA 91365 or VFW Post 1702, 356 Washington St., Braintree, MA 02184.

A celebration of Ralph’s life will be held on Sunday, June 23rd at 3pm at the VFW Post 1702 on Washington Street, Braintree.