Ralph Kraus passed away peacefully, surrounded by his family, on Saturday, January 21, 2017 in Eureka at the age of 89.  Ralph was born in San Francisco in 1927 to Paul and Maria Kraus.  He attended San Francisco Polytechnic High School and upon graduating, enlisted in the U.S. Navy, receiving his deployment on VJ Day at the end of WWII.  He later attended U.C. Berkeley, completing a degree in Zoology.  In 1952, Ralph moved to Humboldt County and earned a teaching credential at Humboldt State, where he met his wife and lifetime companion, Nona, in the Registrar’s Office.  They married in December 1953.  Ralph taught Physical Sciences first at Trinidad Elementary, then at Eureka Jr. High, Jacobs Jr. High and Winship Jr. High and retired in 1984.

Ralph is survived by his loving wife, Nona, his brother Howard (Barbara) of Albany, Ore., and his three children: Edith Stein of Mt. Shasta, Heidi O’Neil (Kevin) of Ferndale and Paul Kraus (Carla) of Eureka.  He is also survived by grandchildren, Katie O’Neil, Margaret O’Neil, Kelsey Kraus and Nick Kraus; nephew Bob Kraus (Kristi) and niece Cathy Kraus.

Ralph loved the natural world and sharing it with other people.  As a teacher at Eureka Jr. High, he co-founded the ski club and took members to New Prairie on every available ski weekend, rigging a rope-tow from the back of an army surplus Jeep and skiing until it was too dark to see.  When the ski area moved to Horse Mountain, he helped found the Horse Mountain Ski Patrol.  Ralph could be found patrolling there every weekend of the season, teaching his own, and many borrowed children, to ski, enjoying the snow and sharing the joy with others.  In the off-season, he took his and other families backpacking, canoeing, fishing, or tended to his garden and orchard, always with deep reverence for the world and always with the people he cared about the most.

When Horse Mountain closed in the early 80s, Ralph returned to a hobby he had begun in his youth: sailing. He served as Commodore of the Humboldt Yacht Club for a number of years, and was active in races and events around the Northwest, once even winning the coveted Turtle Award.  Having developed a mastery of woodworking, Ralph, along with a dear friend, restored sailboats which they donated to the Humboldt Yacht Club and a member or two who had suffered the loss of their boat.  Later, Ralph started a weekly group that was passionate about canoeing and kayaking and which eventually turned into a weekly group passionate about breakfast, who went for a paddle around the Bay when the weather permitted.  Ralph was an organizer and a leader, generous and unselfish in all that he did.  He will be truly missed.

A Celebration of Life will be held on February 25th from 2-5 p.m. at the Wharfinger Building in Eureka.  In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Ralph’s name to Food For People, Northcoast Environmental Center, or Planned Parenthood.  The family encourages you to go skiing, take a boat out on the water, to go fishing, sailing, backpacking, or hiking and to share the beauty of the natural world with young people, bringing your memories of Ralph along with you.

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The obituary above was submitted by Ralph Kraus’ family. The Lost Coast Outpost runs obituaries of Humboldt County residents at no charge. See guidelines here. Email news@lostcoastoutpost.com.