Ralph Clinton Durst, 75, departed this life Saturday, July 30, 2005, at Arbors of Gallipolis after a courageous battle with cancer. He was born October 2, 1929, in Leon, WV, the son of the late Sidney and Iva See Durst. He attended Point Pleasant High School
and was a retired Pharmacy Technician with forty years
of service at Holzer Medical Center.
He was a U. S. Army Veteran of the Korean War and belonged to the following Veterans Organizations: VFW Post 4464 where he had served as Adjunct and Junior Commander; Am Vets-DAV; and American Legion Lafayette Post 27. He also belonged to the Conservation Club, Friends of the Library, Gallia County Animal Welfare League, a volunteer with RSVP and had served as a 4-H Advisor in Gallia County for twenty-five years. He was inducted into the 4-H Hall of Fame in 2004. He was a member of the Pathway Community Church.
Ralph is survived by his wife, Naomi Overturf Durst, three daughters and two sons-in-law: Mary Ann Durst, Judy (Kevin) Halley and Julie (Max) Ours; one granddaughter, Amy Ours whom he dearly loved, all of Gallipolis; and a brother, Paul (Diane) Durst, Charleston, WV.
He was preceded in death by a dear VFW friend, Robert Steinbrunner.
The family will receive friends at the Funeral Home on Tuesday 2:00 - 4:00 P.M. and 6:00 - 9:00 P.M.
Funeral Services will be held 1:00 P.M., Wednesday, in the McCoy-Moore Funeral Home, Wetherholt Chapel, 420 First Ave., Gallipolis, with Pastors Thom Mollohan, Cliff Curry, and Ron Nicholas officiating. Burial will follow in the Gravel Hill Cemetery, Cheshire. Grave Side Military Rites will be conducted by the Gallia County Veterans Service Organizations.
Casket bearers will be Bryan Carlson, Steve Moore, Keith Moore, Kevin Moore, Fred Deel, Dan Miller, and Porter Emmert. Honorary casket bearers will be Congressman Ted Strickland, Harold Duty, Billy Barton, Oscar Bastiani, Clair Lambert (a 4-H friend of South Dakota) and Paul Overturf.
Following the Grave Side Service, the family requests that all family members and friends share a time of fellowship with them at the Cheshire Baptist Church.
The family wishes to thank the employees and friends at K-Mart, Wal Mart, Ohio Valley Bank, RSVP, Bossard Library and Arbors of Gallipolis for the kindness and friendship that they have shown Ralph.
Flowers will be accepted and appreciated or Memorial Contributions may be made to the Ohio Valley Christian School, 455 Third Ave., Gallipolis, Ohio 45631 or Bossard Memorial Library, 7 Spruce St., Gallipolis, Ohio 45631.
