War veteran, business leader leaves a legacy
Ralph Brubacher of Elmira Born: June 5, 1925 in Elmira Died: May 12, 2018 of age related illness
ELMIRA — Val Brubacher cannot say enough about her father-inlaw, Ralph Brubacher, about his big heart, his humour, his intelligence.
“He was a great, kind, loving person,” she said. “He was a very interesting man with a wealth of knowledge and he read a lot, he read everything.”
Son, Peter Brubacher, noted his father’s book collection included everything from encyclopedias to books about the Second World War, a topic of particular interest to Ralph given his own experiences serving in the mil-
itary as a teenager.
Ralph was born on a farm just outside Elmira, one of two kids. His father Clare Brubacher founded CJ Brubacher Plumbing & Heating in 1923, a business that would eventually be taken over by Ralph, then in 1994 his sons Peter and Jim and more recently a grandson, Kyle Brubacher bought the business, the fourth generation.
In 1928, Ralph’s parents built a house in Elmira, where he grew up in the warmth of this small community.
In 1942, at the age of 17, Ralph decided he wanted to join the war effort but the teen was too young and required special permission from his father, which was granted.
Peter said their grandfather had served in the trenches during the First World War and didn’t want his son to be conscripted to the army. The alternative was for Ralph to voluntarily sign up with the Royal Canadian Air Force where he would avoid the bloodshed of the battlegrounds.
Ralph, a highly intelligent and capable young man, rose to the rank of pilot officer before he was 20 and was training young pilots, a treacherous job because there tended to be a lot of crashes. Ralph never served overseas but his skills were recognized by the Air Force and for nearly a decade after he was discharged in 1945, Ralph continued to return to the base every summer to train new pilots.
After his discharge, Ralph had the option of purchasing land or going to school on a government veterans program. He chose an education, completing a mechanical engineering degree.
Ralph worked for Uniroyal for a couple of years after graduating but then his dad asked him to join the company.
Apparently, Ralph was at first reluctant but he eventually gave in and became the second generation to take over the heating and plumbing business. Father and son became partners before Ralph was 30.
It was an interesting time, said sons Jim and Peter. When their grandfather had started the business in the 1920s nobody had air conditioning or forced air gas furnaces. Ralph was witness to all the changes and he embraced it all with typical enthusiasm.
“Because of his background he held a lot of different licences: electrical, gas, oil, plumbing,” said Peter.
Ralph also had a ham radio licence and belonged to a group of operators in the 1950s that had signed on to provide early warnings in the event of an enemy attack (in cities, such as Toronto, air raid sirens blared warnings). There was still a lot of fear following the end of the war and small communities were not immune.
Ralph’s next major life adventure was becoming a husband and father of three boys: Peter, Jim and Paul.
Ralph met Freda — a nurse at Guelph General Hospital — at a dance and the pair were married in 1952. They soon built a bungalow on the property that backed onto his childhood home in Elmira. Going on a mini-vacation sometimes meant just walking through the yard to visit the folks.
Ralph and Freda were always close to their family and loved the sense of community that comes with living in a small town like Elmira.
Val describes the pair as very close, working as a team yet both were highly independent, never relying on each other for entertainment.
Though Freda never returned to nursing full time, she kept up her nursing licence and was often called in for special jobs such as blood donor clinics or to fill in at a doctor’s office.
Once, when Ralph completely severed his hand with a mitre saw, she was able to save the limb by her quick action.
The couple were active with the legion and church and Ralph volunteered with the Boy Scouts as well as coaching hockey teams plus he was a member of the Lions Club and Masons.
Ralph had long ago decided he didn’t want a funeral and when asked why, he joked it was because the Lions Club, Masons and the Legion would be fighting over which organization would hold the service for him and Ralph didn’t want to cause trouble. He had a great sense of humour.
After the war Ralph continued his love of flying, purchasing a plane with a couple of buddies.
An avid adventurer, Ralph would strap on skis to his aircraft, fly to Craigleith, land on the runway strip at the top of the hill, strap on his own skis and hit the hills for the day then fly home.
“He was also an avid sportsman; hunting, fishing,” said Peter, adding Ralph and some buddies purchased a three-acre island near Burk’s Falls for the astounding sum of $50.
The island was little more than a rock in the river but many happy summer days were spent there as well as the family cottage in Penetanguishene.
After Freda died of cancer in 2003, Ralph adapted to life alone. Fortunately he was a good cook and able to care for himself, living in his home up until a few months before he died at 93.
Val said after Freda died, Ralph ensured everyone in the family still had their birthdays or other special occasions recognized with a greeting card or gift.
As Val said, her father-in-law was respected and loved by many people in Elmira.
“He was a loyal and good friend to his friends,” she said.
“When Freda got sick, he looked after her, for two years, he never complained.
A celebration of Ralph’s life will be held Sunday, June 24, 2 to 4 p.m. at the Elmira Legion, 11 First St. E.