Ralph Leinhaas

Colonel (Ret.) Ralph Paul Leinhaas died on August 1, 2007. A career officer in the United States Army born in Detroit. MI on 25 March 1917 and raised in Davenport, IA and Pompano Beach, FL, he was drafted in 1941 while a rising junior at Findlay College, Findlay, Ohio. He later completed his education at the University of Omaha, now the University of Nebraska at Omaha where he received a Bachelors of General Education degree. He was preceded in death by his adored wife of 54 years, Mary Elizabeth (Betsy) Wrenn Leinhaas; his mother Emma Wolters Leinhaas Herbst; his father Carl Heinz Leinhaas, who died during the influenza epidemic of Word War I; his beloved aunt, Clara Wolters Hauthal; his brother, Charles Leinhaas and his stepfather; Rudolph Delano Herbst. He is survived by sons, Paul Scott Leinhaas and wife Marie-Anne Murphy Leinhaas of Westerly, RI and Mark Alan Leinhaas and wife T. Gayle Harvey of Troy, VA; daughter Lauren Clare Leinhaas-Cook and husband Lawrence C. Cook of Glen Allen, VA; five grandchildren, Sarah Pennington Leinhaas, Emma Kristen Leinhaas, Stephen Brennan Leinhaas, Matthew Robert Cook and Samuel Evan Cook; Jaclyn E. McCallum and many other family members with whom he shared loving relationships. During the first few of his almost 30 years of active duty in the United States Army, Col. Leinhaas served in Europe during World War II. After their marriage on June 8, 1946, the newlyweds spent their first tour of duty in the Hawaiian Islands, which they always fondly referred to as their two and one-half year honeymoon. Col. Leinhaas spent his career in the Army Quartermaster Corps with a specialization in petroleum and served tours of duty with his family in Fort Leonard Wood, MO; Fort Leavenworth, KS; Fort Belvoir, VA; Fort Lee, VA; Kaiserslautern, Germany and Fuchu Air Station, Japan. He also served unaccompanied tours of duty during the military conflicts in Korea and Vietnam. Among his numerous awards and citations were the Legion of Merit, the Bronze Star and the Meritorious Service Medal with three Oak Leaf Clusters. Col. Leinhaas was principle military attaché for the United States in the negotiation of the treaty that returned the Bonin Islands, which included Iwo Jima, to Japan in 1968. After retiring from the Army in 1971, Col. Leinhaas worked for ten years as the Administrative Manager of the Petersburg, VA Department of Social Services. After this final retirement, he stepped into the background, content to support and aid his wifeâ??s numerous activities. He loved to work with his hands and became an accomplished builder and avid gardener. After his wifeâ??s death in 2000, he spent the next several years researching and writingâ? Betsy, A Life Story,â? which details her early life and their lives together. His family is deeply appreciative of this priceless gift. The family will receive friends at the Petersburg Chapel of J.T. Morriss & Son Funeral Home & Cremation Service on Sunday, August 5, 2007 from 2 to 4 pm. A memorial service will be held at St. Marks United Methodist Church on Monday, August 6, 2007 at 11 am. Interment will follow in Southlawn Memorial Park. Condolences may be registered at www.jtmorriss.com . In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to The Susan G. Koman Breast Cancer Foundation, P. O. Box 650309 Dallas, TX 75265-0309.