Ralph Roy Graden

Ralph Graden died peacefully at home in Green Valley, AZ on Thursday, August 24, 2023. He is survived and mourned by his wife of 60 years, Jeannine (Eleanor), brother Niles O. (“Butch”) Graden of Sun Center, FL in addition to numerous nieces, nephews, and friends. He was preceded in death by his parents, Niles G. and Muriel (Cromwell) Graden, sister Dolores (Wray), and brother Bruce Graden. Ralph was born on June 4, 1936, in Detroit, MI; he attended Henry Ford Community College and joined the US Air Force in 1954. He was trained as a hydraulic mechanic at Travis AFB in California, awarded more than once for his performance in that role, and served in Okinawa, Japan in the aftermath of the Korean conflict. He was honorably discharged in 1961, at which time he returned to Michigan to work alongside his father, the owner of a Schwinn dealership in Dearborn. In June of 1963 he married Eleanor (“Jeannine”) Snyder. They relocated to Scottsdale, AZ in 1972 and had a new Schwinn dealership built in a sparsely populated area that Ralph was convinced would grow dramatically. He was right, and the Cherry Hill Bicycle Co. at Scottsdale Road and Shea Blvd. became one of the busiest bike shops in the Phoenix area as the population exploded around that location. Ralph and Jeannine sold the shop and retired in 1995. (The shop is still at that location under the name of Landis Cyclery.) The first three years of retirement were spent in an RV touring around the US looking for a good place to settle down. Ironically, they ended up back in AZ, in Green Valley, south of Tucson where they lived at Ralph’s passing. Besides his wife, Jeannine, Ralph loved bowling, fishing, classical music (especially Beethoven), and Michigan football. He was an ardent patriot and flew the American flag proudly outside his home. He was a “cool uncle” to his nephews and nieces; he made a positive impact on the young people he employed at his bike shop. He faced his final days with courage and in anticipation of seeing Jesus face-to-face as the result of his recent response to the call of God on his life.