Ralph Buzard

Ralph Buzard lost his battle with kidney disease on Aug. 1, 2017, at Mat-Su Regional Medical Center in Palmer, Alaska. He was born in Seattle, Washington, to Ralph and Kathleen Buzard. He attended St. John’s Elementary School and O’Dea High School. Ralph and Janet LeMoine were married in 1956. They had three children, Thom, Mike and Susan. They divorced in 1960. He married Mary Sharon Johnson in 1963 and had Monty George. They divorced in 1965. In 1973 he married Claudia Lawson, the love of his life. The family moved to Petersburg, Alaska, in 1974 where he worked as a refrigeration engineer in a fish processing plant. Daniel Ryan was born in 1976.

Ralph was a hard worker and a devoted family man. He worked many jobs all over the west coast, from machinist to marine engineer to hatchery maintenance man. During the 60s he took a tugboat from San Francisco to Viet Nam. The voyage took four months. He retired from the state of Alaska in 1989 and started a propane/welding supply business in 1990. They sold the business in 1999 and moved to the Valley where they built their dream home.

Ralph was crazy about auto racing. He drove minor league stock cars in the 60s. He served as a technical inspector for Legend Cars at North Star Speedway in Palmer for several years. Claudia and Ralph attended many NASCAR races over the years in Daytona, Phoenix, Las Vegas and Talladega. For his 50th birthday Claudia got him tickets to the Indianapolis 500 race. He went back there every year for 30 years. If he could not attend a race he taped it and watched it on TV later, fast-forwarding through the commercials. He was active in Pioneers of Alaska, Susitna Rotary and Mid-Valley Recycling.

Ralph loved dogs and always had at least one. He discovered Rhodesian Ridgebacks in 1982 and has had Ridgebacks ever since. His dogs were his buddies and he never passed up an opportunity to brag about them.

Ralph was preceded in death by Monty and is survived by his sisters, Marie, Kathleen and Geraldine; wife, Claudia; sons, Thom (Ruby), Mike (Theresa) and Daniel (Diane); and daughter, Susan Early; plus numerous grandchildren and great grandchildren.

A Celebration of Life will be held at the Houston Lodge on Aug. 31, 2017, from 6 to 8:30 p.m.

In lieu of flowers, please donate to the Mat-Su Animal Shelter.