Ralph Hebb

Ralph K. Hebb died on September 6, 2013 at his home in Whittier, California, at the age of 88. Born in 1925 in Lakeland, Florida, the firstborn of eight children, Hebb married the love of his life, Mary, in 1947 on her graduation day from FSU, and the pair moved to Whittier in 1956. He was a graduate of University of North Carolina. He worked in automobiles and owned and operated his business, Keystone Auto Leasing. Hebb was happiest when being of service to his family, his country, and his community. He served in the United States Navy for forty years, first as a flight student and dive-bomber pilot during World War II, and then in the Navy Reserves, from which he retired with the rank of Captain. He was a longstanding member of the First United Methodist Church in Whittier, the Santa Fe Springs Rotary Club, the Whittier Toastmasters, and also served in L.A. Centers for Alcohol and Drug Abuse. Hebb loved to fly, and was an active member of the Association of Naval Aviation, the Naval Reserve Association, the Naval Institute and the Tailhook Association. For some years, he flew his own plane. Like George Bailey from It’s a Wonderful Life, he always wanted to travel. He finally realized that dream through his life of service to others, traveling with Mary or daughter Victoria to Rotary Internationals in Mexico City, Singapore, and Montreal, flying to Chico or Seattle to attend theater productions for daughter Lu, or to Florida to help sister-in-law Lillian when a hurricane caused extensive damage to their properties. Hebb enjoyed poker nights with friends, and holiday celebrations filled with the laughter, noise and song of his large and devoted family. He enjoyed quiet evenings at home with Mary, watching TV and doing crossword puzzles. He enjoyed mixing the best martinis in town, and sharing them with his daughters. Hebb was preceded in death by his parents, Percy and Corinne Hebb and a brother Robert (Bob) Hebb. A beloved husband, brother, father, grandfather and friend, Ralph Hebb is survived by Mary, his wife of 66 years, and his daughters, Karen England, Helen (Mel) Vines, Victoria Davis, and Lu Ann (David) Hebb and their families, his loving granddaughters, Jennifer (Finn) and Faline (David) England, Kelly and KayDee Vines, his brothers Charles (Juanita), Fred (Paula), and Jim (Delores), and his sisters Betty O’Wiecki, Alice Lang, and Zelma (Leo) Warnock and their families and sisters in law Nancy Hebb and Lillian Richburg and their families. He will be missed. Services will be held at 11:00 am on Wednesday, September 25, 2013 at the Lewis Funeral Home Milton Chapel with (Ret) Navy Chaplain Ken Griffin officiating. Burial will full military honors will follow in the Milton Cemetery with Lewis Funeral Home directing.