Michael Eugene Ralston, MD, FACS
INDIANAPOLIS - Michael Eugene Ralston, MD, FACS, passed away peacefully on March 30, 2024 in Indianapolis, Indiana at the age of 75. He was born on October 8, 1948 in Van Wert, Ohio to the late Dorothy (Christen) Ralston and Myron “Mike” Ward Ralston. He was preceded in death by his sister, Linda L. Bebout.
Mike was a 1967 graduate of Van Wert High School in Van Wert, Ohio where he was a three sport athlete. He was a 1971 Phi Beta Kappa graduate of The Ohio State University where he was a member of Alpha Tau Omega fraternity and a 1974 graduate of The Ohio State University College of Medicine.
Dr. Ralston was a distinguished Orthopaedic Surgeon, having completed his Residency training in General Surgery at the University of Florida in Gainesville and his Residency in Orthopaedic Surgery at the University of Missouri in Columbia. He furthered his expertise with Fellowship training in Total Joint Replacement at The Ohio State University Affiliated Hospitals. Dr. Ralston was highly respected, being Board certified by the American Board of Orthopedic Surgery, a Fellow in the American College of Surgeons, and a Fellow in the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons. He served as Chair of the Orthopaedic Department at Mount Carmel East Hospital in Columbus, Ohio and was an integral part of the Orthopaedics Departments at Grant Hospital and St. Ann’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio and the Franciscan Health System in Indianapolis, Indiana.
Outside of his professional life, Dr. Ralston was a proud member of various organizations including the Sons of the American Revolution, First Families of Ohio, The Military Order of The Loyal Legion, and the Society of the Descendants of Washington’s Army at Valley Forge.
He is survived by his wife of fifty years, Mary Ann (Keckstein), his children Elizabeth (Colin) Clark and Geoffrey (Katherine) Ralston, as well as his brothers and sisters-in-law Bradley Bebout of Van Wert, Ohio, John and Julie Keckstein, and James and Toni Keckstein of Columbus, Ohio, Miles and Martha Kouskouris of Powell, Ohio, Mark and Marcia Keckstein of Bradenton, Florida, James and Ruth Anderson of Phoenix, Arizona, and many beloved nieces and nephews.
Contributions in Memory of Dr. Ralston can be made to the University of Missouri Residency Research Fund which he helped to initiate.
Funeral arrangements are being handled by GH Herrmann Funeral Home and Cremation Center in Indianapolis, Indiana. A private burial will take place in Dublin, Ohio.