Ralph Dorrance (Lebanon)'s Obituary
Ralph Ellsworth Dorrance, son of Ryland Temple Lawrence and Levita Ione Brown Dorrance, was born July 27, 1940, in Kansas City, Missouri. He departed this life Sunday, June 24, 2012, in Van Alstyne, Texas, at the age of seventy-one years, ten days, and twenty-seven days.
On July 7, 1971, he was united in marriage to Gay Ameritta Duett, and they shared the last forty years.
He was preceded in death by his parents; and a brother, Willard Harve Dorrance.
Ralph is survived by his wife, Gay, of the home; seven daughters, Nita Dorrance, Willie Hill, Kathy Bateman, all of Mount Vernon, Missouri, Lisa Garver, of Santa Maria, California, Shelly Dorrance, and Misty Gentry, both of Tunas, Missouri, and Janie Gentry, of Fair Grove, Missouri; four sons, Dennis Dorrance, of Mount Vernon, Missouri, Ralph Dorrance, Jerry Dorrance, both of Stotts City, Missouri, and Jeff Dorrance, of Lebanon, Missouri; twenty-eight grandchildren; twenty-four great-grandchildren; a brother, Ed Brown, of Lebanon, Missouri; several nieces and nephews; as well as a host of other relatives and friends.
He was raised in the Kansas City and Independence, Missouri areas. He entered the Police Academy as a young man and then worked as a security guard for a few years. He began a career as a truck driver for the R.B.X. Company where he worked for twenty years. The family made their home in Mount Vernon, Missouri for several years and then moved to the Tunas community. He had been employed as a driver for Chastain Trucking for the last year.
In his spare time, Ralph liked to be outdoors where his favorite activities were fishing, camping, and riding his motorcycle. He also enjoyed doing wood carvings. He loved his family dearly and especially enjoyed his grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Ralph was a loving husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, brother, and uncle, and was a caring neighbor and friend. We celebrate his life and his accomplishments and know that he will be fondly remembered and greatly missed by all those who knew and loved him.
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