Ralph Maddry

Ralph Maddry grew up in the small farming town of Idabel, Oklahoma with his parents Ruby and Odis Maddry, two older brothers, Jim and Dale, and his younger sister Carolyn. He achieved an Eagle Scout rank in the Boy Scouts and earned good grades in school but didn’t mind working summer breaks at a service station and on an oil pipeline. During one summer break in high school, he made his way on his own to New York City to visit the big city.
Ralph attended the University of Oklahoma, earning a bachelor’s degree in philosophy. In the early 1960s he returned to New York City and began his first long term job for Columbia University as a college administrator. Fascinated with the city he spent days walking down unexplored streets and visiting the many museums, theatres and concert halls of New York. During this time Ralph married and started his family that would eventually include three sons – Alden, Tyler and Joshua. The peripatetic family moved from Michigan to Williamstown, MA to Glastonbury, CT, finally settling down in West Hartford, CT where Ralph worked for Trinity College. In addition to shuttling his sons to very early morning ice hockey practices and teaching them carpentry skills in the basement workshop he enjoyed hiking and canoeing in the Hartford area.
In the late 1980s Ralph returned again to New York City where he began a new career studying counseling. He earned a master’s degree at the Blanton-Peale Institute and opened his own private practice offering counseling services.
In 1995 Ralph moved back to Williamstown, MA to retire in the town he had grown to love during his family’s earlier three-year stay. Here he enjoyed attending cultural events offered by Williams and participating in the many outdoor activities of the beautiful Taconic and Berkshire mountain ranges.
Although he didn’t relish the workouts, Ralph joined a local gym, visiting four times a week into his mid 80s. He credited his longevity (he lived until he was 90) to these rigorous and onerous physical sessions. Always the man who knew what he wanted and spoke his mind bluntly, Ralph repeatedly advised others to “never grow old.” Ralph wasn’t afraid of growing old but it annoyed him. He did however retain his sense of humor – when phoned and asked, “Hello is Mr. Maddry there?” he would respond, “Barely” or “I don’t know, I’ll go check.”
As an avid outdoorsman and environmentalist, Ralph would appreciate that any donations made in his name go to a local environmental group of your choice. A private service was held for Ralph by his close family and friends.