Obituary for Ralph Alvin Steigers
Ralph Alvin Steigers was born on April 3, 1934, in his grandparents’ home near Juliaetta. He was the second of three sons born to Alvin and Mabel (Heimgartner) Steigers. He left us on Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2022, working the land on the farm where he grew up.
From an early age Ralph had the ability to work with his hands. He could fix any piece of machinery, create beautiful works of art from wood or metal, convert a basement into a bedroom for his growing family or refinish furniture that he found at the dump into heirloom treasures. He had the ability to do math in his head and would have made an engineer wonder at his ability to reason through an issue to its right conclusion.
Ralph attended school at Leland, Rosetta and Gifford, before graduating in 1952 from Culdesac School where he participated in football, basketball and baseball. That is where, at 15 years old, he met the love of his life, Shirley Ann Farnell, a 13-year-old farmer’s daughter. Shirley will tell you there was never another boy for her.
On June 13, 1954, Ralph and Shirley were married at the United Methodist Church in Lewiston. In August 1955 their first child, a son, Eric Ralph, was born. Eric was followed by the birth of their second child 13 short months later, a daughter they named Annette Gay. In June 1959 their family grew by one more with the birth of a second daughter, Melanie June. Their family was complete in September 1969 with the birth of Robin Alecia.
Ralph and Shirley took over operation of the homesteaded property of Shirley’s family in the summer of 1955. Ralph also continued to help with the farming and ranching on his parent’s property and that of his uncle. Over the years, harvest was a family affair with his father, uncle, brothers, son and grandson helping get the crop in. Meals with everyone around the table are forever memories for all of us; lots of good food and laughter.
Ralph was a skilled farmer and cattle rancher who understood the needs of the land were more important than the amount of money that ended up in the bank account. He was farming for future generations. To that end, Ralph thought it was necessary to supplement the farm income. He always had a side job, whether driving school bus or oil truck. Despite the financial difficulties that sometimes plague all farmers, his family never wanted for anything they needed. That included a college education for all four of his children.
Ralph had a love for all things outdoors; fishing, hunting, horseback riding and even gardening. He helped Shirley create the beautiful flower gardens that encircle their home today. He hauled in loads of rock from the surrounding fields, creating rock gardens that still stand, a testament to the quality of everything he did.
Ralph and Shirley instilled a strong work ethic in all their children. But there was also time for fun. There were camping trips; children catching a fish was guaranteed through “bating the hole”. And 20-mile horseback trips into the Idaho Wilderness with Ralph leading the way. In his later years he and Shirley enjoyed traveling to Disneyland, Hawaii, the “Cabin” in McCall and the Oregon Coast with their children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Animals held a special place in Ralph’s heart whether it was a horse or mule, a bull or cow or the many Australian Shepherd dogs that greeted him when he returned home each evening. Ralph had a quiet demeanor and loved babies. If you needed a break from a crying child you could hand them over to him and both of them would be sound asleep in short order.
Retirement from farming and cattle ranching was never an option for Ralph. After receiving an iPad as a Christmas gift, he became very practiced at shopping for “new to him” farm equipment on Tractor House. The recent purchase of a “new to him” tractor and combine were his pride and joy. He also used his iPad to closely monitor cattle prices, wheat prices, the weather, sport scores and Facebook.
He was an avid fan of University of Idaho football, Mariners baseball, Gonzaga basketball, NASCAR racing and old Westerns. He loved licorice, Mountain Dew, hotdogs, popcorn, sour cream lemon pie, maple bars and a good steak.
Moving the TV remote would evoke the ire of an otherwise very gentle soul. Other life lessons... lights must be turned off when not it use; the bull is not going to hurt you, get in front of him; when moving cattle quickly shut the gate; its gosh darn hot in here, turn down the thermostat; when you are elk hunting and shoot the elk, don’t keep shooting and, there is no need for air conditioning, you will get used to the heat.
Ralph was active in all aspects of life in his community. He served on the Cottonwood Creek Community Church Board for 40 years, serving as its chairman for many of those years. He was involved in every aspect of the construction of the church building, the steeple was built in his shop. He served on the Culdesac School Board for 14 years and was a 4-H Leader for 20 years. Ralph also gave back to the organizations that supported his farming activities. In 1996 he and Shirley were chosen as Outstanding Farm Citizens by the Lewiston Chamber of Commerce. He was proud to be part of the 1998 celebration when Shirley’s family farm, which he operated, was listed as a Century Family Farm in the State of Idaho.
Ralph was preceded in death by his mother and father, Alvin and Mabel (Heimgartner) Steigers, his two brothers Carl and Leroy Steigers, a grandson, Jordan Elg and a great-granddaughter, Evalynn Mae Gibbs. He is survived by his wife of 68 years, Shirley Ann (Farnell) Steigers and his children Eric (Barb) Steigers, Annette (Brad) Elg, Melanie (John) Gibbs, and Robin (Brian) Falck, his grandchildren, Ashley (Arty), Marshall (Robin), Elizabeth (Josh), Nathan (Chelsea), Caleb (Kenzie), Alecia (Matt) and Kalli and his great-grandchildren, Autumn, Axton, Ellis, Reid, Wyatt, Kennedy, Rhett and “Pending” (April 2023). Ralph welcomed every new addition to his family, whether by birth or marriage, with open arms and a kind heart.
Ralph never left the house without telling Shirley where he was going for the day. On the morning of Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2022, he told her “I am Going Up Above.” So, while are hearts are heavy with loss, we know he is “Up Above” catching up with all those who went before him and keeping a close eye on all of us “Down Below.” We will work every day to carry on his legacy... until we meet again.
In lieu of flowers, the family kindly requests that contributions be made to the charity of your choice in Ralph’s name. They would also like to express their gratitude for all the kindness that has been shown to them during this time of loss. A celebration of Ralph’s life will be held at 1:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 15 at Cottonwood Creek Community Church, 20706 Gifford Reubens Road, Culdesac. Mountain View Funeral Home of Lewiston is in charge of arrangements.
Postscript: On the morning of Oct. 4, 2022, Ellis (age 4) asked her mom, “How will old grandpa’s cows get moved?” Without waiting for an answer she mused, “I think Clyde (her horse) and I can do it.”
The legacy continues ...
From an early age Ralph had the ability to work with his hands. He could fix any piece of machinery, create beautiful works of art from wood or metal, convert a basement into a bedroom for his growing family or refinish furniture that he found at the dump into heirloom treasures. He had the ability to do math in his head and would have made an engineer wonder at his ability to reason through an issue to its right conclusion.
Ralph attended school at Leland, Rosetta and Gifford, before graduating in 1952 from Culdesac School where he participated in football, basketball and baseball. That is where, at 15 years old, he met the love of his life, Shirley Ann Farnell, a 13-year-old farmer’s daughter. Shirley will tell you there was never another boy for her.
On June 13, 1954, Ralph and Shirley were married at the United Methodist Church in Lewiston. In August 1955 their first child, a son, Eric Ralph, was born. Eric was followed by the birth of their second child 13 short months later, a daughter they named Annette Gay. In June 1959 their family grew by one more with the birth of a second daughter, Melanie June. Their family was complete in September 1969 with the birth of Robin Alecia.
Ralph and Shirley took over operation of the homesteaded property of Shirley’s family in the summer of 1955. Ralph also continued to help with the farming and ranching on his parent’s property and that of his uncle. Over the years, harvest was a family affair with his father, uncle, brothers, son and grandson helping get the crop in. Meals with everyone around the table are forever memories for all of us; lots of good food and laughter.
Ralph was a skilled farmer and cattle rancher who understood the needs of the land were more important than the amount of money that ended up in the bank account. He was farming for future generations. To that end, Ralph thought it was necessary to supplement the farm income. He always had a side job, whether driving school bus or oil truck. Despite the financial difficulties that sometimes plague all farmers, his family never wanted for anything they needed. That included a college education for all four of his children.
Ralph had a love for all things outdoors; fishing, hunting, horseback riding and even gardening. He helped Shirley create the beautiful flower gardens that encircle their home today. He hauled in loads of rock from the surrounding fields, creating rock gardens that still stand, a testament to the quality of everything he did.
Ralph and Shirley instilled a strong work ethic in all their children. But there was also time for fun. There were camping trips; children catching a fish was guaranteed through “bating the hole”. And 20-mile horseback trips into the Idaho Wilderness with Ralph leading the way. In his later years he and Shirley enjoyed traveling to Disneyland, Hawaii, the “Cabin” in McCall and the Oregon Coast with their children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Animals held a special place in Ralph’s heart whether it was a horse or mule, a bull or cow or the many Australian Shepherd dogs that greeted him when he returned home each evening. Ralph had a quiet demeanor and loved babies. If you needed a break from a crying child you could hand them over to him and both of them would be sound asleep in short order.
Retirement from farming and cattle ranching was never an option for Ralph. After receiving an iPad as a Christmas gift, he became very practiced at shopping for “new to him” farm equipment on Tractor House. The recent purchase of a “new to him” tractor and combine were his pride and joy. He also used his iPad to closely monitor cattle prices, wheat prices, the weather, sport scores and Facebook.
He was an avid fan of University of Idaho football, Mariners baseball, Gonzaga basketball, NASCAR racing and old Westerns. He loved licorice, Mountain Dew, hotdogs, popcorn, sour cream lemon pie, maple bars and a good steak.
Moving the TV remote would evoke the ire of an otherwise very gentle soul. Other life lessons... lights must be turned off when not it use; the bull is not going to hurt you, get in front of him; when moving cattle quickly shut the gate; its gosh darn hot in here, turn down the thermostat; when you are elk hunting and shoot the elk, don’t keep shooting and, there is no need for air conditioning, you will get used to the heat.
Ralph was active in all aspects of life in his community. He served on the Cottonwood Creek Community Church Board for 40 years, serving as its chairman for many of those years. He was involved in every aspect of the construction of the church building, the steeple was built in his shop. He served on the Culdesac School Board for 14 years and was a 4-H Leader for 20 years. Ralph also gave back to the organizations that supported his farming activities. In 1996 he and Shirley were chosen as Outstanding Farm Citizens by the Lewiston Chamber of Commerce. He was proud to be part of the 1998 celebration when Shirley’s family farm, which he operated, was listed as a Century Family Farm in the State of Idaho.
Ralph was preceded in death by his mother and father, Alvin and Mabel (Heimgartner) Steigers, his two brothers Carl and Leroy Steigers, a grandson, Jordan Elg and a great-granddaughter, Evalynn Mae Gibbs. He is survived by his wife of 68 years, Shirley Ann (Farnell) Steigers and his children Eric (Barb) Steigers, Annette (Brad) Elg, Melanie (John) Gibbs, and Robin (Brian) Falck, his grandchildren, Ashley (Arty), Marshall (Robin), Elizabeth (Josh), Nathan (Chelsea), Caleb (Kenzie), Alecia (Matt) and Kalli and his great-grandchildren, Autumn, Axton, Ellis, Reid, Wyatt, Kennedy, Rhett and “Pending” (April 2023). Ralph welcomed every new addition to his family, whether by birth or marriage, with open arms and a kind heart.
Ralph never left the house without telling Shirley where he was going for the day. On the morning of Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2022, he told her “I am Going Up Above.” So, while are hearts are heavy with loss, we know he is “Up Above” catching up with all those who went before him and keeping a close eye on all of us “Down Below.” We will work every day to carry on his legacy... until we meet again.
In lieu of flowers, the family kindly requests that contributions be made to the charity of your choice in Ralph’s name. They would also like to express their gratitude for all the kindness that has been shown to them during this time of loss. A celebration of Ralph’s life will be held at 1:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 15 at Cottonwood Creek Community Church, 20706 Gifford Reubens Road, Culdesac. Mountain View Funeral Home of Lewiston is in charge of arrangements.
Postscript: On the morning of Oct. 4, 2022, Ellis (age 4) asked her mom, “How will old grandpa’s cows get moved?” Without waiting for an answer she mused, “I think Clyde (her horse) and I can do it.”
The legacy continues ...