RALPH EDWARD GUSTAFSON

1945-2017

Ralph Edward Gustafson, 71, of Richmond, Texas, passed on to eternal peace in the early morning hours of Saturday, May 20, 2017. Ralph lost his valiant battle against cancer at his home in Richmond, Texas surrounded by his wife and children. Born in Galveston in 1945, to the late Judge Ralph Bernard and Mildred (Mayo) Gustafson, he was a graduate of Ball High School, Texas Tech University, and Baylor Law School. He raised his family in Simonton, Texas before spending his more recent years in Richmond.

Post law school, Ralph immediately went to work for the law firm of Stafford & Patten in Houston where he would eventually become a partner, and later sole owner, of The Gustafson Firm. Despite being a trial lawyer in Houston for nearly 46 years, Ralph had a way of getting along with just about everyone he ever met. He loved preparing for trial and arguing cases almost as much as he loved telling his infamous jokes. He was passionate about playing golf, preferably with good friends or those whom he could beat. He also enjoyed hunting, saltwater fishing and racing Quarter Horses. There was nothing in this world he loved more than his wife, children and grandchildren. Above all, his greatest enjoyment was time spent with family.

Ralph is survived by his lifelong love Deborah Carol (Weber) Gustafson, whom he married in 1969; his son Stephen Erik Gustafson and his fiancé Cynthia Faye (Crump) of Houston; his daughter Rebecca Anne Gustafson of Alexandria, Virginia; and his daughter Amelia Louise, her husband Robert Milton Verdin Jr., and their two children – Charlotte Louise and Pearl Sabine – all of Austin, Texas; his nephew Jeffrey Quebe of Fort Worth, Texas; and his niece Julia Peterson of Austin, Texas. Ralph also leaves behind numerous extended family, lifelong friends and esteemed colleagues. He was preceded in death by his father Ralph Bernard, his mother Mildred (Mayo) Gustafson of Galveston, and his sister Karen Quebe of Austin.

A memorial service to celebrate Ralph’s life will be held at 10 a.m. on Thursday, May 25, 2017, in the Chapel at Ralph’s church home of 47 years, Memorial Drive Presbyterian Church located at 11612 Memorial Drive in Houston. Memorial donations may be made to the Colon Cancer Alliance at 1025 Vermont Avenue, N.W., Suite 1066 Washington, D.C. 20005.