Ralph Bovey

It is hard to sum up Ralph Bovey’s generous and well lived life. There is so much to remember and cherish. Ralph Eugene Bovey was born on May 4th, 1930 in Winchester, Idaho to Cleo Oscar Bovey and Elsa Dean Huggins Bovey. After his father’s death, Ralph and his younger brother, Richard, were primarily raised by their grandparents, but eventually Ralph moved to Portland with his mother where he graduated from Roosevelt High School. Ralph started work at ALCOA in Vancouver after high school where he worked for 36 years and then continued to work for ACPC until retirement.

As a young man, he settled into life in Battle Ground, Washington and helped with many churches in the area. Ralph was passionate about discipleship and evangelism and enjoyed taking carloads of teens to Youth for Christ. He also used his unforgettable voice to sing classic hymns at churches and events around Clark County. Ralph (and most of his friends) thought he would be a lifelong bachelor until he met Elizabeth Kaye Kinder through a friend. After a long distance romance, Ralph asked Kaye to marry him and they tied the knot on December 9, 1967. They had two children, Valerie and Timothy.

Always a hard worker, Ralph had many side businesses. He built a drive-in at Dollar’s Corner for his mother to manage and did tractor work for residents all around the area. His dream of being a farmer was fulfilled with Kaye’s Blueberries that he ran with Kaye until they sold their Battle Ground farm in 2018. Ralph had a love of a good joke, laughter, trucks, tractor equipment, the mountains and horses. He spent many trips with Kaye or friends riding horses into the backcountry, enjoying the outdoors.

Ralph's generous spirit was well-known in the community. He was dubbed “the flower guy” because he regularly sent flowers to Kaye when she was away from home - even as far away as Israel! Ralph was always ready to help those in need or offer a good story to lighten the spirits no matter if they were strangers or friends. As he grew older he treasured spending time with his grandchildren, Riley and Isabella, whom he loved dearly. He also took great joy in supporting ministries that shared the love of Christ around the world.

Ralph went home to be with his beloved Savior on March 30, 2022. He is survived by his wife, Elizabeth Kaye, his daughter, Valerie Hooks, son-in-law, Rick Hooks, and grandchildren Riley and Isabella Hooks. Son, Timothy and brother, Richard, preceded Ralph in death.

A celebration of life service for Ralph will be held on May 14th at Battle Ground Baptist Church at 3 pm. The church is located at 1110 NW 6th Ave, Battle Ground. The family requests that instead of flowers all donations be given in Ralph’s name to the Royal Ridges Scholarship Fund to help local boys and girls attend Christ-centered horse and adventure camps, just like Ralph’s children and grandchildren have done. You can donate at www.royalridges.org or mail donations to: Royal Ridges, P.O. Box 3010 Battle Ground, WA 98604