Ralph Lybarger, Jr.

Ralph Lybarger, Jr. 101, passed peacefully on the morning of February 9th while under the care of his son David, daughter Sheryl, and home Hospice.

He was born on September 15, 1924, to Ralph Lybarger, Sr. and Viola (Vincent.)  He was preceded in death by his parents, his brother, Vaughn (Dorothy Burch) and his three sisters--Jean (Robert Smith), Vera (Walter Casto) and Rosemary (Walter Cox).  His brother, George (Sharon Prange) of South Bend survives.  He is loved by his nieces and nephews, many grandchildren, great-grandchildren and friends.  Ralph lived his entire life in South Bend until, at the age of 98, he moved to his daughter's home on Lake Columbia in Michigan where he continued to enjoy fishing, boating and growing his beloved dahlias.

Ralph was a WWII Veteran where he served as a Marine in the South Pacific, where he was his island's designated "sharp shooter".  He was fortunate to experience a trip to Washington DC on The Honor Flight Northeast Indiana Flight #37 in June 2022, along with his brother, Army Veteran George Lybarger.  He said he was "the star of the show, everywhere I went", being the only WWII Veteran in the group.

Ralph married Janet Eiswald in 1949 and together they had James (Pamela Waltz--deceased), Sheryl (Stephen Bennett), David, Paul and John (Tammy Payne). They divorced in 1986 and were both remarried.  Janet (Kollar) survives in Mishawaka, IN. Ralph married Eleanore Engstrom in January of 2000. She passed away in 2019.

Ralph was a lifelong, avid fisherman who could be found on the ice as well as in his boat on any number of lakes or rivers, many times catching his limit of bluegill, perch, crappie or salmon.  He and his 5 children each caught salmon on a Lake Michigan Charter Boat to celebrate his 90th birthday. He was well known in the area as the "fishing telephone man".  Ralph worked over 40 years for Indiana Bell/AT&T as a lineman, installer and was the last payphone serviceman for the company.  He installed the land lines for all the Notre Dame student dormatories.

Ralph gave many years of service to The Boy Scouts of America as Troop 452 Assistant Scoutmaster, Camp Master at Camp Tamarack in Jones MI., and on committee for LaSalle District (Norther Indiana Council).  He was also in "The Order of the Arrow" (Scouting's National Honor Society), achieving the "Vigil" honor.  Ralph was nationally recognized as the recipient of the George R. Meany Award for his generous donation of time and talent for his B.S.A. troop, council and camp work.

He was a faithful member of the Emmanuel Baptist Bible Church in Niles Michigan before moving to Brooklyn, Michigan to live with the assistance of his family. Ralph remained active in the Riley High School Over-50 Reunions, volunteering to organize and inspire younger classmates to continue with the annual reunion celebrations.

He gardened 3/8 of an acre with nearly every kind of vegetable every summer and added growing dahlias during his last decade of life. He knew where to find spring & fall mushrooms and enjoyed every edible variety that he could find in Michiana. He and his many funny fishing and Marine stories will be missed by family and friends who have heard them over and over!

Family and friends may visit from 3:00 – 6:00 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 19, at Palmer Funeral Home-Guisinger Chapel, 3718 So. Michigan St., South Bend.  Services will be at 12:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 20, at the funeral home with Rev. Brad Lomax officiating.  Graveside services and military honors will follow at Southlawn Cemetery.  In lieu of flowers, contributions in memory of Mr. Lybarger may be offered to Hospice of Lenawee, 1903 Wolf Creek Hwy, Adrian, MI 49221, or to South Bend Toys for Tots at south.bend.in@toysfortots.org.http://south.bend.in@toysfortots.org

Online condolences may be offered to the family via the Palmer Funeral Home website at www.palmerfuneralhomes.com.

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