Ralph Clay Amey Born in Coffeyville, Kansas, on February 25, 1955, to Ralph L. and Rosanna L. Amey, Ralph grew up in Wichita, with his sister, Carol Riegel (currently living in St. John, KS) and brothers, Alan (Bel Aire, KS), Butch (Bel Aire, KS), and Virgil (near Cambridge, KS). He graduated from the University of Kansas in only three years, with a degree in Physics, then rode his Harley down to Tucson, where he got a Master's degree in Physics from the University of Arizona. Many of his friends may not have known that, after obtaining his Master's, Ralph made it to the top 10% of Mission Specialist candidates at NASA, but to his chagrin, didn't make the final cut because of his myopia. Friends who knew about his quest consider it to have been very shortsighted on NASA's part. In his professional career, Ralph worked at McDonnell-Douglas, Boeing, Allied Signal, Hughes, and then Raytheon, as what we lay friends considered a "rocket scientist." In addition, he did hardware and software contract work for various firms in Tucson. His last major project was a CNC mill for Composite Mirror Applications, which he designed and built in his garage. (Does anyone need a 4,000 pound, Rube Goldberg-ish, CNC mill prototype?) For fun, Ralph became a licensed glider and single-engine airplane pilot. He built and flew (and sometimes crashed, to his great delight) radio-controlled airplanes. He also enjoyed engaging in aerial dogfights on the internet with his brothers, Alan and Butch. Studying the cosmos, either with his telescope, through books, or on the Internet, was another consuming passion. Ralph leaves behind his siblings, his daughter, Susannah Ivester (Gardner, KS); his three granddaughters, Anastasia, Aurora and Isabel, along with innumerable friends, who will miss his droll humor, his occasional lack of political correctness and his towering intellect. A celebration of Ralph's life will be held at Flandrau Planetarium, 1601 E. University, Tucson, AZ, 85719, at 10:00 a.m. on Sunday, May 8, 2011. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made, in Ralph's name, to the Flandrau Planetarium (520-621-7827). Arrangements by ADAIR FUNERAL HOMES, Dodge Chapel.