Ralph Edward McMillon

Born Jan. 20, 1945, in Manhattan, New York, Ralph was the son of the late Carrie Anna “Lockie” Matlock and Dennis Lewis.

He is survived by two daughters, Carrie Hancock (Tim) of Wolf Creek, West Virginia, and Jenna McMillon of West Virginia; step-daughter, Robin Quinlivan of Thomas, West Virginia; grandchildren, Savannah, Ally, Eli and Ella; first wife, Enrica (Hofer) McMillon, of Elkins, West Virginia; cousins, Donna Rae Scarlett of Virginia Beach, Virginia, and Dwight Scarlett (Rona) of District Heights, Maryland; along with an abundance of friends and other relatives.

In addition to his parents, Ralph was preceded in death by stepfather, Ulysses “Mac” McMillon; two brothers, Kirkland “Kirk” McMillon and George “Tinker” Watley; and cousin, Marion “Tiny” Marshall.

Growing up in Spanish Harlem in New York City, Ralph’s recognition of his love for nature began in boyhood while on camping forays with his boy scout troop, and during one year when he lived with his aunt Loniece and uncle Ralph White at their rural home in Minnesota.

Ralph graduated from the High School of Music and Art in Manhattan, where he played clarinet and ran track. From 1962 to 1966, he served in the U.S. Navy as radio communications supervisor on the destroyer ship U.S.S. Joseph Patrick Kennedy Jr.

Ralph self-transplanted to West Virginia in 1968, attending West Virginia Wesleyan College, then graduating from D&E College with a degree in psychology. He acquired two master’s degrees from WVU, one in education, the other in rehabilitative counseling and vocational rehabilitation.

Buying 56 acres of woodland atop Laurel Mountain, Ralph and Enrica were part of the back-to-the-land movement in the ’60s and ’70s. While living for two years in a large tipi that they’d constructed, they cleared the land and built a small cabin, raising their daughters there while gardening and farming.

A man of many talents, Ralph obtained a black belt in karate in 1985. He was very active and had many interests. He enjoyed building things with his own hands, riding horses, snowshoeing and cross-country skiing, playing poker with “the boys,” reading, listening to music, watching movies, and much more. Ralph loved a good party amongst friends. An excellent cook, he savored “real” local home-grown food. He also loved adventure and travel.

An activist and unionizer, Ralph greatly valued working with others to help reduce environmental desecration, as well as to alleviate or end social injustice and unjust wars. He was a member of the Cultural Awareness and Enrichment Group in Elkins.

In the early 2000s, Ralph owned and operated REM Custom Hardwoods, a portable sawmill business. He felled trees on his property, sawing them into boards and beams for the second home that he built on his land.

The jobs Ralph held in his younger years in West Virginia include operating heavy machinery on Corridor H and working as a union carpenter with the Bridgeport chapter of the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America. Ralph did his counseling internship in Ossipee, New Hampshire, at the Highwatch Rehabilitation Center, assisting accident victims in readjusting to life with head injury.

Over the decades, he held many positions as counselor, therapist, and teacher in both Randolph and Tucker Counties, including: at the Randolph County Sheltered Workshop; the Youth Crisis Center; the Appalachian Mental Health Center; karate instructor at the Elkins YMCA; special-education and substitute teacher in both counties’ public school systems; building trades teacher at North Central West Virgina Youth Build; and as faculty instructor for the Learning Disabilities Program at Davis & Elkins College. Ralph also spent a year teaching public school in the remote village of Kotlik, Alaska.

In keeping with his wishes, a large, loving gathering of friends and family was held at Saranam Retreat Center in Montrose on Saturday, June 8, with Ralph in attendance.

A burial service was held on Thursday, June 13, at Ralph’s homeplace.

Rest well, dear Ralph. We are all enriched by knowing you.