Ralph J. Baughman

All who knew Ralph Baughman would agree that he put the spice into life. He was both fun loving and serious at the same time, which often made it impossible to know whether he was being serious or pulling your leg. Ralph was also a kid at heart who lived out his wildest dreams as a father through the children he adored. Married to his true love for 61 years, he experienced so many of the best things that life has to offer, making priceless memories with his friends and loved ones along the way. With a journey that spanned times of war and times of peace, times of plenty and times of want, Ralph made a positive impact in the lives of so many within his reach. The entire decade of the 1930s was cloaked in hardship due to the unrelenting grip of the Great Depression. Countless people lost their jobs, and with an unemployment rate that soared over 25 percent numerous families eventually lost their homes as well. Despite the circumstances that surrounded her, a young woman from Battle Creek, Michigan, was overjoyed with the birth of her healthy baby boy on July 9, 1930. Baby Ralph was the younger of two children born to his parents, Frank and Edith (Shultz) Baughman. Ralphs birth was an especially happy time as his older brother, Frank, had died shortly after his birth. Though Frank and Ediths marriage wouldnt last, Edith found the man who would eventually be the father-figure in young Ralphs life. When Ralph was seven, she remarried a wonderful man named Carl Olsen. Ralphs mother worked as a census taker while Carl worked for the Social Security Administration. It was as a young teenager that Ralph began perfecting his fun loving personality that remained with him throughout his entire life. It should also come as no surprise to those who knew Ralph that he was known to get into his fair share of mischief as a young man. New and exciting changes were in store for Ralph when he met a fellow classmate who would prove to be his true love. Her name was Joan Bailey, and they began dating during the eleventh grade with their first official date being to an away basketball game. Their love blossomed over the months that followed, and they became high school sweethearts. After graduating from Mt. Pleasant High School in 1948, Ralph went on to Bay City Junior College and Northwestern University in Illinois before enlisting in the United States Air Force. His time in the military spanned from 1950 through much of 1954. Ralph also continued his education during this time. By the time his duty to his country was fulfilled he had earned the rank of staff sergeant. Not to be forgotten during this time was Ralphs deepening love with Joan. With a desire to establish a life together the couple became husband and wife on July 29, 1951, at First United Methodist Church in Mt. Pleasant. Together they welcomed three children into their hearts and home: Cindy, Cheri and Mark. No stranger to hard work, Ralph started his journalism career at age 8 by reading the funny pages of the local newspaper on a Battle Creek radio station. While attending Mt. Pleasant High School he wrote many sports articles for the Times New (Morning Sun). He joined the Boy Scouts at a young age achieving the rank Eagle Scout. Ralph wrote articles for several Air Force magazines during his military years. In addition, he was involved the writing and editing of portions of the Air Rescue movie Battle Taxi starring Stirling Hayden. Ralph completed correspondence courses through a number of Big Ten Schools. His original plan was to pursue a career in journalism, but while in the service some of his superiors recognized his natural ability to work with numbers and urged Ralph to become an accountant instead. This eventually led him to Michigan State University where he completed two more years, graduating with a degree in accounting in 1956. With his education finally behind him Ralph began working for the accounting department at Leonard Refinery in Alma until 1961. At that time, Ralph and Sammy Pishos a friend and fellow classmate purchased McPheran Tax Service, which they renamed Central Accounting Tax Service. Ralph owned and operated their business until they sold the business to Robert F. Murray in 1980. Not ready to retire, Ralph continued to work for the new owner until his rheumatoid arthritis forced him to retire in 1983 when he was only 53 years old. Although he put in a good days work, Ralph also had plenty of fun. He lived vicariously through his children as he made it his mission to provide them with all the things he would have loved growing up - things like snowmobiles, boats, and cars. As a father Ralph could be serious when needed, too. He often said to his children. There are three ways to do things in life: Dads way, Ralphs way, and RJBs way. If you pick one of those youll be good! Ralph also took several memorable vacations through the years to places like Japan, Hawaii, and Las Vegas in addition to a Caribbean cruise. He was always a big sports fan of both Michigan State and Central Michigan University. Ralph maintained an active lifestyle as well as he was an avid snowmobiler and enjoyed both deer and pheasant hunting. One of things Ralph will be remembered for most was his unending spirit of generosity that frequently poured out into his community. Ralph served on the board of education at St. Louis Schools. He was a member of the Mt. Pleasant Lions Club, representing them in Tokyo and Okaya (Mt. Pleasants sister city), Japan at the Lions Club International Convention in 1969. In addition, Ralph was on the board at Central Michigan Community Hospital serving as the boards president, interim director and finance director for a time. In addition, he and Joan served for several years on the Hospital Ball Committee. They served as the chairpersons his final year. He was serving as the chairperson for the hospital board when the hospital put on its first addition. The things we will miss about Ralph are many. We will miss his spunky personality, his brutal honesty, and his timeless stories, but most of all we will miss his love. It is true that Ralph could be a bit stubborn, but he was also a man who was passionate about the things he believed in. Life will never be the same without him here, but the memories he leaves behind will be forever held near and dear to the hearts of many. Ralph J. Baughman died on July 30, 2012 at Woodland Hospice. Ralph leaves behind his wife, Joan; three children, Cindy (Joe) Zuker, Cheri Sjoberg, and Mark (Jackie Boettner) Baughman, all of Mt. Pleasant; one grandson, Jeff (Vicky) Zuker of Saginaw; two great-granddaughters, Joslyne and Jordan Zuker; and his faithful companion canine, Shanay. Ralph was preceded in death by a grandson, Brian Zuker. Ralph's life celebration will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, August 4, at Charles R. Lux Family Funeral Home with the Rev. Nancy Casey-Fulton officiating with visitation starting one hour before the service. His ashes will be interred at Riverside Cemetery in Mt. Pleasant. Memorial contributions may be made to Woodland Hospice or Humane Animal Treatment Society of Isabella County (HATS).