Rev. Dr. Ralph L. Fry, Jr., 79, from Hendersonville, NC, passed away peacefully Wednesday, November 27, 2019 at Mission Hospital in Asheville, NC. He was surrounded by his loving family. Ralph was born on October 10, 1940 in Deshler, Ohio to Ralph Sr. and Cleo (Behrens) Fry.

He is survived by his loving wife of 60 years (and childhood sweetheart for 70 years), Beverly A. (Conrad) Fry, formerly of North Baltimore, OH. They had 5 children, Kevin Fry of Hendersonville, NC; Shari (Jeff) Jenkins of Sanford, FL, Linda (Marc) Hodgson of Casselberry, FL, David (Kelly) Fry of Hendersonville, NC, Dana Fry of Hendersonville, NC; 15 grandchildren, Jaclyn (Steve) Bowman, Jessica (Bill) Sneed, Nathan Fry, Justin (Jen) Lamb, Ashlee (Marc) Schnelle, Jason (Rachel) Jenkins, Stephanie (David) Clark, Ilissa (Jake) Watts, Kayla Jenkins, Tiffany Fry, Tyler Ambrose, Rachel Jenkins, Zachary Ambrose, Hunter Ambrose and Jennifer Fry; 12 great-grandchildren, Kaitlyn Bowman, Hailey Lamb, Madison Bowman, Brianne Bowman, Nicholas Fry, Justin Lamb II, Adelynn Schnelle, Micah Schnelle, Reese Bowman, Grayson Ambrose, Ava Sinclair, and Ruari Clark; 2 step-grandchildren, Krista and Wade; and 2 step-great-grandchildren, Faith and Gabby. He is also survived by brothers-in-law, Keith (Pat) Conrad and David (Paula) Conrad; special sister-in-law, Becky Wickard-Lee; 2 aunts; and several nieces, nephews, and cousins.

He was preceded in death by his parents; brother, Larry Fry; and 2 grandchildren, Kayla Jenkins and Tyler Ambrose.

Ralph graduated in 1958 from Deshler High School. He worked at the Deshler Flag newspaper while in High School. He worked at Claude Sintz and Dow Chemical in Findlay, Ohio. He felt called into the ministry in 1965. He graduated from Huntington College in Huntington, IN with a Bachelor’s of Art Degree in 1970. He then went on to achieve his Master’s Degree in Divinity from Ashland Theological Seminary in 1973 and obtained his Doctorate of Ministry Degree in May of 1999 from Reformed Theological Seminary.

Ralph, along with his wife Beverly, pastored several churches in the Church of the United Brethren in Christ Denomination: Van Buren, IN; Franklin, PA; Oil City, PA; Altamonte Springs, FL; Greencastle, PA; additionally, Congregational Church, Mansfield, OH, and Middlefork Baptist Church, Bat Cave, NC.

His greatest desire was to put God first in his life and to share his love of God with others. He loved being on the mountain at his home enjoying God’s creation. He was an avid hunter. He enjoyed fishing, camping, bluegrass music, woodworking, handyman work, bird watching, and playing the guitar to name a few. His longtime desire to record a CD of his music that he wrote was fulfilled earlier this year. His love for his wife, children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren was deeply felt and will be missed.

A visitation will be held Monday, December 2, 2019 at Shuler Funeral Home from 2-4pm and 6-8pm. The funeral service will be held at Bethel Wesleyan Church on Tuesday, December 3, 2019 at 1pm, with a visitation one hour prior to the service. Pastor Tim Clark and Dr. Logan Sparling will officiate.