RALPH WINGERT Long Beach native, business owner, and life-long resident, Ralph (Sonny) Wingert died peacefully in his sleep at home on February 1, 2015. Ralph was the oldest of six children born to Pauline and Ralph Wingert, Sr. on January 14, 1937. The joy and pride of his life were his wife, four daughters and their families. Ralph and Carol Sue Greitl began dating in high school after Carol hit a parked car and he came to her rescue. They were married on May 11, 1957 and had 4 daughters in the span of 6 years. Their family consists of: Cheryl (Joe) Bellino and their children: Jeremy (Christine) Bellino and great grandson Baby David, Nicole Bellino, and Ashley (Brendan) McIntire; Kathy (Brad) Davis and their children: Emily (Matt) Bush, Jana Davis and Tim Davis; Lisa (Chris) Rubio and their sons Aaron (Kristin) Rubio and Garrett Rubio; and Nancy (Paul) Thompson and their daughters Aubri and Kara. After retiring, Ralph's greatest pleasure was having his grandchildren over to "help" in the garden, watch TV, or impart car knowledge. He also enjoyed attending their athletic events as well as taking pride in their academic achievements. The girls always had a list of things for their dad to "come take a look at", fix, or create things that his sons-in-law appreciated not having to deal with. The best memories are from week-long trips the entire family took together: houseboating at Lake Shasta and Lake Trinity; celebrating Ralph and Carol's 50th wedding anniversary on Maui: and vacationing in Lake Tahoe in 2013 where ALL 25 of the Wingert clan attended. Ralph smiled from ear to ear the entire week! At 14, Ralph entered the family automotive business with his father and younger brother Dick. Together, they owned and operated West Anaheim/Harbor Auto Parts on Anaheim St. in Long Beach for over 50 years. The "shop" specialized in auto dismantling, auto repair, and auto glass with Ralph taking a keen interest in repairing rear ends. He was the only guy who could rebuild a rear end by "feel" instead of replacing it. He and his brother also went through a van and a Volkswagen Beetle phase. At one time, the Wingert driveway housed 5 Bugs - one for Carol and each of the girls. Ralph had a love affair with cars his entire life, from his days in the Cut Outs Car Club to replicating the cars of his youth in retirement. He restored a '55 Chevy and painted it his favorite car color - candy apple red. This show car is now owned by his sister, Kris Bolis, in Montana. He also restored and customized his dad's '68 El Camino. He was currently building a '41 Chevy. Ralph had an uncanny auto mind - he knew every single car part that was on the family's 1 acre shop property from memory and to this day his car junkie friends call him to ask what parts are interchangeable. On any given day at the shop or home, at least 5 people contacted him for his knowledge and expertise, which he was MORE than happy to give! When he wasn't working, Ralph hung out at the Lions Drag Strip and at other shops in the area learning everything he could about building engines for speed. He parlayed this knowledge into modifying his own engines to race in drag boats. He won several national titles in the unblown gas flatbottom class, racing in the #99 Dismantler. In addition to building and working on his own engines in the garage at night (the neighbors loved hearing that), he also designed, poured, and raced one of the first center-drive drag boats. The family enjoyed spending weekends racing at Long Beach Marine Stadium and Lake Ming with all the other boat families and Ralph's pit crew. Unfortunately, the days of the weekend warrior ended when corporate sponsorship got involved. Ever the thrill seeker, Ralph then entered his dirt biking phase. He initially rode with the guys in the desert and later trips were spent riding and camping with other families in the High Sierras. A bad fall over the handle bars left his body and spirit battered and bruised. This led to the rise of a calmer Ralph who got more serious about his bowling. Never one to be outcompeted, the lefty spent his weeknights in bowling leagues and weekends in tournaments. He knew the location and lane conditions of almost every bowling alley within a 500 mile radius. In 1988, Ralph was one of the founding members of the Western Senior Bowling Tour. He won several tournaments as a semi-pro and on the Senior Tour but we're pretty confident he won lots of his money on side-bets. During his lifetime, Ralph had over 25 sanctioned perfect games. As he grew older, bowling became more about enjoying the people he bowled with, still hitting the lanes 2 afternoons per week. Another lifelong pursuit Ralph enjoyed was fishing. After the drag boats, he down-sized to an aluminum fishing boat that transported him around Big Bear Lake but he eventually decided shore fishing was much less of a hassle. He liked the quiet solitude and getting away in his younger years, but reveled sharing in the sport with family and friends in his later years. And your fishing hole was never as good as his! Whether it was cars, boats, dirt biking, bowling, or fishing, Ralph accumulated a lifetime of friends along his life journey. He never left a favor unpaid. He was fiercely independent, competitive, opinionated, and proud. In his later years, he became a homebody enjoying spending time with his wife, family, and neighbors, tending to his vegetable garden and grapevines, doing home improvement projects including custom cabinetry and tile laying, tinkering with his cars in his over-sized garages, and sharing his knowledge with anyone who asked. A gathering of family and friends will take place on Sunday, February 15, 2015, 3-5pm at the Knights of Columbus Hall, 9743 Artesia Blvd. Bellflower, CA. Everyone is welcome. Burial will be private.
Arrangements under the direction of Luyben-Dilday Mortuary, Long Beach, CA.
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