Ralph Wayne Brake

Ralph Wayne Brake, 90, El Dorado Springs, passed away on Thursday, Jan. 21, 2010. Ralph was born in Dallas County on Sept. 19, 1919. He grew up on a small farm with parents, Lloyd and Alma Brake. He had one sister, Vivian. By all accounts they were quite the team—with her role being to keep him out of trouble.

Ralph’s talents and interests were exhibited at an early age. His mother used to tell of his hammering nails in the dirt and pulling them out and then doing it again when he was just a tiny tot. He had many stories of all the fish and wildlife critters he would bring home for her to cook. He claims to have built his first chicken house at age nine or 10 and a quarried stone house when he was 13. That house is still being lived in.

With so many interests and jobs, school was low on the priority list. That didn’t mean he didn’t learn his arithmetic and he could still figure square feet and costs off a building project in his head until the end. He was also quite the inventor and had tool designs that should have been patented. He was very creative with his cabinet and furniture designs also.

He married Doris Branstine in April of 1940. It was a partnership that lasted 63 years until her death in 2003. They settled in Dallas County near their families. They soon had three little Brakes—Janet, Terry and Linda.

During World War II, he was sent to welding school and then spent two years building troop ships in Evansville, IN. After the war and back in Dallas County, he worked as a welder on tank trucks until he got enough building jobs to feed those growing little Brake kids. There are literally 100’s of houses, barns, schools and etc., that he built in Dallas and Greene counties in the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s.

In later years, he ventured farther from home and ended up in El Dorado Springs at the end of his contracting career. Ralph and Doris built a retirement home here in El Dorado Springs close to the lakes with all the hunting and fishing locations. His next career was as a craftsman of fine furniture and cabinets. He has grandfather clocks he built that are in homes from coast to coast.

Life was perfect for a few years and then the storms of life came with Doris’s many illnesses. She spent 11 years in the nursing home with Ralph visiting her faithfully every morning. Tragedy struck again when son, Terry, had an accident and didn’t recover from his injuries in 1999. Then daughter, Linda had cancer to which she succumbed to in 2001.

Life was rough but he kept going with his loving ways and sense of humor. He even learned new skills like cooking when he could no longer do woodworking.

He always wanted people to remember him for his love of life and joking manner. His surviving family will certainly do so. Those survivors are: daughter, Janet Overman - Kentucky; son-in-law, Ronny Morris - Kansas; five grandchildren - Shari Bedker - Virginia, Stacy Lester - Kentucky, Adam Morris - Arkansas, Aaron Morris - Texas and Timothy Brake - Missouri; their spouses and seven great-grandchildren; two nephews and two nieces.

The grandchildren served as pallbearers as a final job to do for their grandpa, Ralphie. They have a million stories to remember him by and hope the rest of you do, too.

Services were held on Monday, Jan. 25, at Bland-Hackleman Funeral Home. Rev. Brent Bland officiated and Rusty Carver provided music. Graveside services and interment followed in Mt. Olive Cemetery, near Fair Grove.

Arrangements were under the direction of both Montgomery-Viets Funeral Home and Bland-Hackleman Funeral Home.