Ralph Wayne McMickle

A memorial service for Ralph Wayne McMickle will be held at 3:00 P.M. Sunday, April 23, 2023, at North Monroe Baptist Church, West Venue in Monroe, Louisiana. Dr. Bill Dye and Rev. Warren Eckhardt will officiate. The visitation will be at 2:00 P.M. prior to the service.

Ralph McMickle, age 87, passed away at home in Monroe, Louisiana, on April 8, 2023, surrounded by loved ones. Ralph, one of four children, was born on September 6, 1935, in Malakoff, Texas, to Melvin Joseph McMickle and Myrtle Malora Smith. He is preceded in death by his siblings Wanda Duke, Theda McMickle, and Aline Dupuy.

Ralph graduated in 1953 from Natchitoches High School in Natchitoches, LA. In 1957, he earned a degree in Civil Engineering from Louisiana Tech University. While at Tech, Ralph was a member of Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity, and was drum major in both the Tech marching band and the Air Force ROTC band. After graduation, he was commissioned into the Air Force as a 2^nd Lt. and was sent to Texas A&M to study meteorology for a year. He then served in Guam and Japan flying typhoon reconnaissance.

When his military service ended, he accepted a half-time teaching job at Louisiana Tech while earning his M.S. in Civil Engineering. Ralph and Ann, his wife of 60 years, met on registration day, and were married the following spring.

Ralph enjoyed a varied and interesting work career. While employed at General Dynamics in Ft. Worth, TX, Ralph worked as a designer and construction coordinator of the first F-111 to come off the assembly line. He additionally worked on design teams for the F-16, B-1, AWACS, and the Space Shuttle. In 1968, Ralph was awarded a Ph. D. in Structures and Structural Mechanics from Texas A&M. In 1974, Ralph and his family moved to Monroe, LA, where he joined Ford, Bacon, and Davis, working on various pipeline projects including the Strategic Petroleum Reserve in south Louisiana and Texas. A career highlight was working with Amoco, designing and managing construction of a LNG pipeline in Trinidad. In his later years, Ralph was a founding owner of Precision Steel Framing and Construction Co. and led the design and construction of over 600 homes in Louisiana.

Ralph and Ann enjoyed being able to travel and had many wonderful trips abroad and in the US. They have been longtime members of North Monroe Baptist Church and the Sonny Standifer Life Group. Ralph’s greatest joy was his family and the time they spent together. He was very proud of each member of his family, and always let them know how much he loved and appreciated them.

Ralph is survived by his loving wife, Ann; his three children and their spouses, Lindy and Doug Peterson of Tyler, TX, Stewart and Soli McMickle of Houston, TX, and Scott and Lara McMickle of Roswell, GA; eight grandchildren, Ben and Lauren Peterson, Emily and Jake Collins, Bradley and Chandler McMickle, Sarah and Ryan Burton, Ellen and Drew Ostenson, Taylor and Allison McMickle, Hunter McMickle, and Caleb McMickle; two great-grandchildren, Miles Peterson and Chase Peterson; sister-in-law, Candy Edmonds, and many other cherished family and friends.

The family thanks Dr. Prem and Dr. Gammage for their care and concern through the years, and more recently Elara Hospice for their loving attention and care.

Memorials may be made to North Monroe Baptist Church, the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation, or the Louisiana Tech Foundation, Engineering Department.