E. Ralph Rosensteel Jr.

E. Ralph Rosensteel, Jr., age 94 of North Versailles, passed away Wednesday, April 15, 2020. He was born July 6, 1925 in Braddock, the son of the late Elmer and Helen (Becker) Rosensteel. He was a founding member of the All Souls Episcopal Church in North Versailles, was a past member of the VFW in East McKeesport and of the East McKeesport Volunteer Fire Department. Ralph, alongside his wife Judy, volunteered with Meals on Wheels for 30 years, up until just a few years before his death. Ralph was an exemplary and loving husband and father who was always there for his family. Ralph’s childhood was lived on Bessemer Terrace in East Pittsburgh with his parents. Immediately upon graduating from high school (1943, middle of WWII) Ralph enlisted in the Army Air Corp (now the Air Force), and after basic training was shipped overseas as a member of the 325th Squadron, 92nd Bomber Group, 8th Air Force based in the small village of Podington outside of Northampton, England. Ralph served as a corporal doing general duties around the base. When the CO of his outfit decided to start a small dance band, Ralph auditioned and was accepted as the singer. That was the era of the Big Bands and the singers were the rock stars of that time, so this was a very prominent position. Ralph got to perform all over the UK and, as the war was winding down and ended, in other European countries. One evening he was asked to sing with Glenn Miller's orchestra, which was the #1 music act in the world at that time. One evening when performing at a dance hall in Northampton his future wife, Jean Kilby, a teenage resident of Northampton attended, and they quickly became a couple. Ralph married Jean in June of 1945 while still based in the UK and their first son, Gary, was born in April of 1946 in Northampton. Ralph was shipped home with his unit in the spring of 1946 and Jean w/Gary joined him a few months later. Married for 35 years, they had three children together before her sudden, unexpected death in 1980. After the war, Ralph went into the machinist apprentice program at the Edgar Thompson Works of US Steel and went on to have a career in that field. He was an extremely adept machinist and moved up in his field to become a machinist repairman - fixing the machines other machinists used. He worked at several different places in his career, involved with a number of higher-end activities - creating the reactor vessels for reactors in nuclear submarines; repairing massive machinery like electricity generators in huge dams; and ended his career doing repair work on commercial nuclear reactors. Ralph had a fantastic baritone voice and he loved to sing. His voice was like that of Dick Haynes, a star of the Big Band Era. In his youth, Ralph sang at community and church events and in high school musicals. During his WWII service, he was the lead singer of the Skyliners, the band formed by the commander at his Air Force base in England. He was the choir director and soloist at All Souls Episcopal Church for decades. Some of the things Ralph enjoyed, apart from singing, included working in his home workshop, building and repairing things around the house, being active in the church, golfing, being a fan of the Pirates and Steelers, the Civic Light Opera, and relaxing on the patio with the Sunday paper. Throughout his life, Ralph was an active member in his community; serving in officer roles with the local volunteer fire department, the Veterans of Foreign Wars post, his church, and as a volunteer with Meals on Wheels. He was a role model to his family and to all those who knew him in his work in the community and church. He is survived by his wife of over 34 years Judith M. Rosensteel; children Gary (Anita) Rosensteel of McMurray, Keith Rosensteel of Pittsburgh, Barbara Rosensteel of Tennessee and step-daughter Cathleen (Jeffery) Bisko of North Huntingdon; 4 grandchildren; 9 great grandchildren; and 1 great-great grandchild. Services are private. Interment will be at Grandview Cemetery in North Versailles. A memorial service will be held at a later date at the All Souls Episcopal Church in North Versailles. Arrangements handled by the Forgie-Snyder Funeral Home, 1032 Broadway, East McKeesport, 412-823-8083. Memorial contributions can be made to the charity of your choice. For online condolences please visit www.snyderfuneralservices.com.

E. Ralph Rosensteel Jr.

July 6, 1925 - April 15, 2020