Ralph M. Kneale Jr.

Ralph M. Kneale Jr., 84, of Chardon, Ohio passed away peacefully on Saturday evening, April 25th, 2020 at Chardon Healthcare. He was born in Cleveland, Ohio on October 6th, 1935, to the late Ralph and Katherine (Fawcett) Kneale, Sr.

Ralph was a graduate of West Geauga High School, and he earned a BS in Agricultural Business from Ohio State University in 1958. After graduation, he joined the U.S. Coast Guard, and was posted in Long Beach, California. He returned to Cleveland in 1962 and joined the family printing business. Later, he began a lifelong career in marketing, eventually setting up his own consulting business.

He was an avid lover of nature, and long-time member of the Cleveland Natural Science Club. In 2013, Ralph wrote a book entitled “Lodge Spirit,” which describes the history of Look About Lodge, built by the members of the Cleveland Natural Science Club, which included Ralph’s parents, as a place to learn about natural science and provide an opportunity to “find one’s self” through the appreciation of nature. The book chronicles the naturalist movement of the late nineteenth and early 20th centuries and the establishment of the Cleveland Natural Science Club in 1925, which would ultimately build Look About Lodge during the 1930’s. Completed in 1938, the Lodge was the source of many childhood memories for Ralph, leading to his lifelong appreciation of nature. As he writes in “Lodge Spirit,” “I regret not consistently following the counsel of John Burroughs. So, I recommend his advice to all: ‘I come here often to find myself. It is so easy to get lost in the world!’”

Ralph was also an active member of the Cleveland Hiking Club, logging well over 5,000 miles after joining in his mid-seventies. He was also a member of the Cleveland Manx Society.

Ralph is survived by: his son and daughter-in-law, Todd and Teresa Kneale of Brea, California; his daughter and son-in-law Laura and Charles Anderson of Vienna, Virginia; their mother, Rosemary Wanko; his grandchildren, Paul and Caroline Anderson; and his sister, Sarah Stringer.

A PRIVATE BURIAL WILL TAKE PLACE AT A LATER DATE. For those interested in honoring Ralph, the family requests that donations be directed to the Cleveland Metroparks Trail Fund in his memory. These can be made through clevelandmetroparks.com/parks/get-involved/donate/trails-fund.

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