Virginia Beach- Ralph Albert Maykowski, age 52 passed away unexpectedly Tuesday October 7, 2008. Ralph served in the US Navy for 6 years and was a technical support analyst for the Virginian- Pilot Newspaper.
He was preceded in death by his father Jerome Maykowski and his step- mother Charlene Maykowski
He is survived by his wife of 26 years Lettie Maykowski; his mother Henrietta Vaughn of Texas; his daughter Amy Maykowski of Texas; his sons Jeremy Maykowski and Ryan Maykowski of Virginia Beach; granddaughter Melinda Maykowski of Texas ; brothers Joe Swartz, Ed Swartz and John Maykowski ; sisters Sharon Benavidez, Mary Jane Rock , Tina Babcock , Yolanda Bristow, Kathy McNeelege and Rhonda Harris along with a host of other relatives and friends.
A memorial service will be conducted by Pastor Rob Pittman Friday at 11:00 AM at the Chapel of Altmeyer Funeral Home 5792 Greenwich Rd. Virginia Beach. The family will receive friends one hour prior to the service. To honor Ralph’s love of casual beach attire the family request that everyone attending services dress accordingly if possible.
After the shock, there remains sadness and heartache, but let us not forget the beautiful memories we all have. Ralph was a wonderful husband, father and friend. I will always remember his cheery disposition and love for life! He will be greatly missed. Lettie, Amy, Jeremy and Ryan… you all are in my thoughts. Love to all.
Amy – I am so sorry for your loss. When death happens unexpectedly it leaves us so empty and with a lack of understanding of God’s plan, but He does have a plan and I know you will see your dad again one day. Please know that my thoughts and prayers are with you and your family at this time.
Amy and Family,
I am deeply sorry for your loss. I never got to meet Ralph but from what Amy has told us he was a wonderful man. Amy I know you wanted everyone special to meet him and I am so sorry we did not get to. We will keep you and your family in our thoughts and prayers.
We love you,
Tanya, Chris, Amber and Layton
Amy and family, I know the pain you are going through and my heart aches. My thoughts and prayers and love are with you.
Sarah
Amy Lou, I am sorry for your loss, our prayers and thoughts are with you and your family.
Amy you and your family have my families condolences and prayers.
T.J Guerin
Amy-
I am so sorry for your loss. You and your family are in my prayers.
Amy,
I am very sorry for your loss. You and your family are in my prayers.
Amy,
I am so sorry for your loss. Your family are in my thoughts and prayers.
Amy,
I am so sorry. I just got this email from you. I don’t get on here much anymore. If you need anything give me a holler. love you
Armin
Amy,
I am truly sorry for the loss of your father. In this extremely difficult time you can find peace in knowing that God had a better place for him. You can rest in the fact that when God wants to take an angel, He will take them and let them rest peacefully in His arms. I know this loss hurts you emotionally but thank God because he allows us to have memories. Love ya!
In His grip!
Kelvin Beene
Amy,
I’m very sorry for your loss.
Amy,
My sincere condolences to you and your family. I know how much your father meant to you. You are always in my thoughts and prayers. I love you!
Debra
Amy,
We are sorry to hear about the sudden loss that you and your family has endured. Please know that all of you are in our thoughts and prayers during this trying time and we are here for you when and if you need us. May God Bless You.
Amy, and family,
Carolyn and I want to express our condolences to you. There are difficult times as we journey through this life, but no matter how low we feel our God is reaching out in love. Even though we walk through the valley He desires to comfort us and to carry us through that valley. We pray you will know His grace in abundance in these difficult days.
God bless you and your family.
David and Carolyn Lee
Amy, both you and your family are in our thoughts and prayers. May god be with you all through this difficult time.
Amy, I know exactly what you are going through. I lost my parents a couple of years ago and there isn’t a day that i wish they were still here. I’m here to tell you that with time the pain will lessen. The pain goes away when you realize he is in a much better place than we are. God bless you and your family in this time of grief but also know you are in our thoughts and prayers as you go through this journey.
Amy, my thoughts and prayers are with you and your family.
As a friend of Amy’s I would like to send my sincerest condolences to the family. I can understand that since this was so sudden no one was prepared. My thoughts and prayers are with you all.
DAD,
I WILL NEVER FORGET YOU POPS. WE HAVE HAD SOME MANY WONDERFUL TIMES.. FISHING,CAMPING, AND CHILLING AT THE ISLAND OR IN THE POOL. YOU HAVE RAISED ME GOOD, AND HAVE SET ME OFF ON A GOOD PATH IN LIFE, AND BIGGER GOALS. DAD YOU WERE THE BEST THING
“IF YOU SCARED,SAY YOUR SCARED”
“ONLY THE GOOD DIE YOUNG”
LOVE YOU
YOUR SON RYAN ALBERT MAYKOWSKI
Daddy’s Little Girl
If I had my life to do over,
I’d have chosen you to be my dad
once more.
Even if it meant losing you again,
It’s worth all the tears in the
world.
You were my sunshine when skies
were gray.
I loved you and honored you;
You took all my tears away.
I was happy to be with you,
Proud to be your little girl.
Sometimes we would argue,
But to me you meant the world.
Your love was always pure;
You treated me as your own.
Your time seemed all too short and
I feel so alone.
What can I take from this?
My heart is completely crushed.
But nothing loved is ever lost –
And you are loved so much.
I am not sure who wrote that poem daddy but that’s how I feel. My heart is broken and aches to see you, to smell the brut cologne on you, to hear you call me “darling” one last time. To have one of your many hugs right now would be a gift from heaven to me. To play one more game of darts where you let me win, just so I had to get the towel wet : THey don’t have those towels no more. To sing “I got you babe” again, to hear you sing “you don’t have to call me darling”. But most importantly, to hear your voice on my birthday, reminding me that “so many years ago today, I was in boot camp and got a telegram that stated “mom and daughter are doing fine”. Daddy i LOVE that story! I will make sure the love you gave to all will live in my heart, and grow through to Melinda, and always make her feel as loved as you did me. I miss you so much!
Dear
Lettie and Family,
Jerry and I can,t express how very sadden we are over the sudden lost of Ralph
He was such a kind, sincere, loving husband, father and to all who knew him
He will be missed dearly
Dear Family of Ralph,
For fifteen years I passed Ralph in the hallways of The Virginian-Pilot. For many of those years I never knew his name or what he did there. However I did know, in some way, that he was a good and kind man simply from our “hey, how ya doin?” exchange each time we passed on our way to and from whatever took us through the halls.
Over the years I realized Ralph did not care to wear long pants, ever, even when it was 30 degrees or colder outside. I couldn’t help but ask him, even though I knew the answer, Ralph, don’t you think it’s time for some long pants?, it’s FREEZING outside! Each time he would patiently reply, “No, it feels great out there.”
I will never forget him, and I will miss his friendly greeting. He seemed like a sweet teddy bear of a man.
I’m so sorry for the sadness his family and friends are feeling since his passing.
I am grateful to have known him even a tiny bit.
With love,
Cecelia Jolley
Dear Lettie and boys,
I haven’t seen you all in a long time, but I did run into Ralph at the paper around a year ago. I think about you two when I drive near my old neighborhood. I am very sad about Ralph’s passing. You and your family are in my prayers. Rosemary
Dear Lettie and family:
I am so sorry to hear about the tragic loss of your husband. I am RalphâÄôs cousin who is the oldest daughter of his father’s sister, Aunt Dolly. Our roots began in PA even though we lived several places in the US. I have fond memories of Ralph despite us being so young when he moved to Texas. As I read what the others have written about him I see that he never changed. He was a good man and will be sadly missed. My thoughts and prayers are with you all.
Dear Lettie, and Family; You are all in our thoughts & prayers during this difficult journey that you are having to endure. Please know that Ralph was such a great guy, & we’re proud that we’ve been able to share some laughs, & yes, some liquid spirits. He will be missed. We are here for you at any time.
Dear Lettie, Jeremy & Ryan,
We were so deeply saddened to learn the loss of your loving Husband and Father. Ralph was a good man with a kind heart. He always made us feel welcomed and was always genuine. You remain in our thoughts and prayers.
Love,
Gwen & Steve
Aileen, Rhonda, & Simon
“Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.”
Matthew 5:4
Dear Lettie, Ralph and Lettie’s children, Ralph’s mother and siblings,
My memories of my nephew Ralph, even as a young man, while still living here in the Sharon area are very fond. I remember Ralph’s enthusiasm for life, his loving nature and his sense of humor. My sympathy extends to anyone lucky enough to have known this fine man.
Love from Aunt Gerri & son Brian
Dear Maykowski Family,
Please accept my sincere condolences for the loss of your beloved Ralph. I am 1 of Ralph’s many Pilot friends that are stunned and deeply saddened by his sudden passing.
May God grant you Peace and Healing to know Ralph was the consummate blend of personality and professionalism and will be sorely missed by all whose life he touched.
Sincerely,
Jim LaMay
He was always so happy to see us, we will miss that and his “Ralph” shirts. Wish we had some magic words to make it all better. Love,
Henry, Yolanda and Rhonda I am sorry for your lost. My prayers and thoughts are with you at this trying time.
Sincerely,
Richard Gonzales
I am so sorry about your loss. My thoughts are with you during this difficult time. I am certain he is in a happy place looking down on the ones that he loves. Go with peace.
I am very sorry and share your pain as I too had lost my father unexpectally. And it does take the wind out of your sails. I was a daddys girl and that hurts the most.I missed not being able to be there when he passed. My prayers go to you and your family. Linda
I am very sorry for the loss of your loved one. My prayers are with your family.
I am very sorry for your loss he will be missed by many.
I can’t imagine walking into Hometown and not hearing Ralphs voice greeting me hello. He was always the first one to ask about my day or see how I was doing. Over the years I relied on Ralph for advice, friendship and just his way of making me smile. I feel priviledged to have not only got to know and love Ralph but to feel like part of his family thanks to Lettie, Jeremy and Ryan. Ralph truley touched everyone he meet with his warm heart and great sence of humor. Words can not express the loss that will be shared by everyone he touched. I guess this year I will have to make Joe stop saying bad things about the Cowboys. Remember we are right around the corner if you need us.
Your in our prayers
Crystal and Joe
I have known Ralph since he started at the Newspaper in Tech. service. He was a great friend and co worker. I was saddened to hear of his passing. God bless his family and we will be praying for them at this time.
I pray for strengeth and understanding for you and your family through this trying time.
I was so shocked to hear of Ralph’s passing. I will always remember him at work with his Hawaiian shirts – no matter the weather. Ralph was a very kind man and he will be missed at the newspaper. My thoughts are with his family and wish them the best during this difficult time.
I will dearly miss Ralph. We loved to talk about Nascar and joke each other about the Redskins and Cowboys. The last time I talked to Ralph was in September when he went to the Nascar race and I did not go because of the storm. He called my husbands cell phone and wanted us to come by his camp spot to play horseshoes. Much sympathy to Lettie and his children. I will miss his meatballs at our IT parties.
I will say a special prayer to the Maykowski family and friends
I wish you were still here so that I could at least tell you one last time how much you have impacted my life. You accepted me as a daughter and loved me unconditionally. I will never forget the last night by the fire we spent when you told me how much it meant that I called you to keep you company while you were in the hospital. At that moment, I knew how much you really cared about and loved me. I have never in my life known someone as loving and accepting as you. You raised a wonderful son and I promise to take good care of him. I LOVE YOU FOREVER DADDY!!!
I worked with Ralph at The Pilot. He was a great friend and a true professional at his job. We shared a lot of laughs over the years, especially during our DTI training. I will miss him.
I worked with Ralph for over 9 years at the Pilot. He was both a friend and a professional colleague. My deepest sympathies to his family and fellow friends for this big loss.
I would like to express my sympathy to all of you at this time. I know that it is not an easy time and I will keep you Amy and all the family in my prayers. May God wrap you in His arms and comfort you during this very sad time.
Sincerely,
Terri Stembridge
I’m so sorry for your loss. I know how you felt about your dad.
I’m sorry for your loss. Lettie, Ryan, and Jeremy are in my prayers!
If you need to talk let me know…we will use the CITY time…
It was a terrible shock to hear of Ralph’s death. I have known him at the Pilot for many years. I will miss him. He was a wonderful person both professionally and personally. My thoughts and prayers are with the family at this painful time.
John, my sympathys to you and your family. I am so sorry.
ken