NEWS
In Memoriam: Ralph Lewis Quackenbush
Ralph Quackenbush
Ralph Lewis Quackenbush was born in Englewood, New Jersey (Bergen County), and was the eldest son of Alice Scriven Quackenbush and Melvin M. “Mum” Quackenbush. Ralph had two brothers, Everett Quackenbush, and Jan Quackenbush, who predeceased Ralph. Ralph’s father’s career was in the textile industry and his mother was a stay-at-home mother. Ralph was raised in a house that was built during the post-revolutionary war era that included vegetable and flower gardens, orchards, and plenty of property on which a boy could roam. Ralph recalled that he often helped tend the gardens and orchards with his mother and that, like many post-WW2 families, they had a “Victory Garden” and grew many of their food staples for their home during his childhood.
Ralph attended Tenafly High School and had the good fortune to make and keep several life-long friends from his high school and local community. After high school, Ralph attended The Philadelphia Textile Institute and earned a Textile Engineer degree. After college, Ralph was drafted into the Army and served as a member of Army Intelligence in the 4th Infantry Division in Germany. He was extremely proud of his service to his country and toward the end of his life was interviewed by the VA as part of a project commemorating Veterans and their service.
Ralph met the love of his life, Carol Dickson Quackenbush in 1958, on a blind date arranged by mutual friends. The date included attending a play in which Ralph was an actor, and a cast party. It was an instant attraction, often referred to as love at first sight, and this love would last for over 65 years. Ralph deeply loved his wife, Carol, and they were devoted to each other to a level that is seldom witnessed.
Ralph and his wife moved to Cornelius, North Carolina in 1960, to work in a textile mill owned by the Hird brothers. The mill closed in 1961, and Ralph and a colleague decided that they wanted to try their hand at small business ownership. He and his friend opened the first Tastee Freeze in Cornelius in 1961. Ralph would go on to open The Hub in 1962, a soda shop, grill and sundries business, in downtown Davidson. He would operate The Hub for many years, catering to the needs of Davidson College students, faculty, and townsfolk. For many years The Hub was a fixture on Main Street. Ralph was especially proud that he was the first business in the town of Davidson to offer his services to all townspeople, regardless of race, creed, religion, or color. Ralph closed The Hub in 1976 and transitioned his entrepreneurial skills to furniture restoration from the years 1976 until he retired in 1996. He also taught furniture restoration at Central Piedmont in the evenings for many years. He was well known for the quality of his work and his honesty and fairness as a businessman.
Anyone who knew Ralph knew that he would want to find other meaningful ways to contribute to Davidson and the world after retirement from his business, and he went on to serve on the Board of The Davidson Housing Coalition for 20 years and also served for 20 years as the Parking Enforcement officer for the Davidson Police Department. He was honored by the town of Davidson for his distinguished service with the Burney award in 2010. Ralph also served his church, the Davidson College Presbyterian Church, as a Deacon and Head Usher for many years.
Ralph and Carol moved to The Pines at Davidson in 2019 and fully enjoyed the community and their life there until his death. They played bingo (often winning!) and Ralph especially loved playing Trivia with his friends at the Pines. He was well-known in the halls and took great pride in knowing so many employees and residents’ names (he had a fantastic memory!) He leaves behind many good friends, fond memories, and heartfelt gratitude for those there who cared for him.
Ralph is survived by his devoted and loving wife, Carol, and by his children Lynn Quackenbush and her husband, Dallas Adams of Houston, Texas, and David Quackenbush and his wife, Nancy Quackenbush of Saint Simons Island, Georgia. He was deeply loved and respected by his family for his grit, his determination and his joy in self-taught pursuits: community acting, playing recorder, crumhorn and organ, wood-working and furniture restoration, and pretty much any darn thing he wanted to learn.
A service will be held Saturday, January 18 at 2:00 pm at DCPC. The family requests that in lieu of flowers, donations may be made to one of Ralph’s favorite organizations: DCPC (Davidson College Presbyterian Church), The Davidson Police Department, The Davidson Branch of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Library, or The Davidson Housing Coalition.
Condolences may be sent to:
Carol Quackenbush
400 Avinger Lane
Apartment 102
Davidson, NC 28036
Lynn Quackenbush (daughter)
ive615 Braes Meadow Drive
Houston, TX 77071
David Quackenbush (son)
23 Villager Court
S.S.I., GA 31522