Ralph Johnson, long time member of the East Texas Beekeepers Association, passed away peacefully in his sleep, September 15, 2009 at the age of 90. He was very active and productive, doing the things that made him the happiest - tending his bees, his green house and his garden throughout his retirement years. He never stopped working and doing. Indeed, a mere two weeks before his death, he was on his tractor helping his “adopted” son and fellow beekeeper, Ray Knaeble, get his tractor out of a ditch.
Mr. Johnson kept bees as a boy with his father in the nineteen twenties and early thirties. He was the second oldest sibling of a large family, totaling 13 brothers and sisters. He often talked of the days when he and his father would “track” worker bees from a water source to their hive in some distant tree using talcum powder as a marker. Where possible, they would cut down the tree and take the portion of the trunk containing the hive back to their farm – bees and all, where they would cut it open to get the honey. He said, at first, he was too little to handle the saw, so his dad set him on the log to keep it stable while his dad and older brother did the sawing. They did not know what a “bee suit” was and rarely had any protective clothing other than a gunny sack and gloves. Ralph’s sons were very happy that things had improved by the time Ralph drafted them into service nearly 60 years later!
As a young man, he served in the National Guard and in the Army (1937-1946), training many thousands of recruits to use the 50 caliber machine gun. Afterwards, he continued to serve in the Civil Air Patrol for many years. He attained the rank of Captain during his service. He was proud to have served his country and his service years were among his most favorite memories. He especially loved talking with other vets who had also served during WWII.
By trade he was a cabinet builder and later built homes in the Tyler area. Upon retirement he again became a beekeeper, joining the East Texas Beekeepers Association in June of 1989. It was there he met Mr. R.T.
(Rat) Hutchins and they quickly became good friends. Mr. Hutchins taught Ralph all about the “modern” way of keeping bees (thank goodness) and soon, he had more hives than he could take care of – apparently enthralled with the otion of splitting hives”. He enlisted the help of his sons, Jim and Don in 1991, and together they not only continued the family beekeeping tradition, but have created a growing business from it, which will insure his son’s livelihood for the rest of their lives.
Ralph loved beekeeping and he loved getting together with fellow beekeepers at the monthly meetings, which he rarely missed. He wholeheartedly supported the projects the Club undertook, especially the A&M Lab. In recent days, he had mentioned how happy he was to see the Lab under construction. The ETBA Honey Queen Program was another project he enthusiastically supported. He had always been a big supporter for a Queen Program whenever it was discussed. Of all the programs and projects the Club has sponsored, he was most proud of the two excellent queens who have served the ETBA since the program was initiated. He never turned down an opportunity to have his picture taken with the Honey Queen.
He attended his last “bee meeting” September 3, where he was honored with a 90th birthday song and cake. The meeting was lively, the program was on flowering plants for bee forage – a subject he dearly loved, and he enjoyed talking with all his old friends. According to Jim, his son who lived with him, Ralph was still beaming over the meeting several days later, talking of the fun he had and the new things he learned about flowers.
A man of strong faith, Ralph looked forward to the day he would be with his Lord and his beloved wife, Louise. But he never wasted a moment of the time he was given on this earth. 90 years of living and he lived every last day of it to the fullest.
Mr. Johnson is survived by two sons, five grandchildren and several brothers and sisters. His ever-smiling face boosted the spirits of all who knew him. He was loved and he will be missed.