It is with great sorrow that the family of Ralph Evert announces his passing due to a catastrophic mudslide to his home on St Thomas caused by Hurricane Maria. He was taken in his sleep, with his two beloved cats beside him, on Wednesday, Sept. 20, 2017, at the age of 57 years.
Ralph will be lovingly remembered by his son, Charlie (Ralph Charles Evert IV); ex-wife, Julie German Evert; mother, Mary Marvin; stepfather, James Marvin; sisters: Sally (Steve) Weingartner, Betsy Bart (Robert Rovinsky), Patty Evert (John Powers) and Sara Marvin (Ray Terranova); niece, Nora Bart; nephews: Sam Bart, Luka and Mason Terranova; and countless close friends.
Ralph grew up in Wyncote, Penn., and in 1984 completed his paramedic training at Foothill College, Calif., at that time affiliated with Stanford University. He moved to St. Thomas in 1987, married his high school sweetheart Julie in 1990, and celebrated the birth of their son Charlie (a “Hurricane-Marilyn baby”) in 1996.
Ralph was a beloved member of his community, a Friend of Bill W sponsor, helped the homeless at St. Thomas Reformed Church, traveled to the Philippines in 2013 to assist with humanitarian medical efforts, and was always there for his friends. A jack-of-all-trades, for his living Ralph mostly built computers and networks and shared his love of motorcycles as a tour guide for riders on cruise ships.
Ralph was especially proud of his son Charlie, who is attending college, served in the military, and seems to adopt his father’s philosophy: There is only one success – to be able to live your life in your own way.
A celebration of Ralph’s life will be planned for the summer of 2018 and posted to Ralph’s memorial Facebook page at facebook.com/ralphevert. Donations can be made in his honor to relief efforts by the St. Thomas Reformed Church: stthomasreformedchurch.org/#/giving-relief-efforts, Island Dog rescue: facebook.com/islanddogrescue or to the Red Cross relief for victims of Hurricane Maria at www.redcross.org/donate.
Ralph’s family wishes to express their immense gratitude to all the people who helped us put him to rest, especially Cecile A., St. Thomas Rescue, particularly Capt. H and Chico, Steve L., Det. G. and the V.I. Police Department, and Dan Hurley.
