Ralph enjoyed singing in the choir and he sang in the Inspirational Choir, the Male Chorus and the District Choir.
He loved music and he played the piano.
The district choir rehearsals were held in Ocala, Daytona Beach, Kissimmee, Orlando, Sanford. and sometimes I went to the rehearsals with him.

Love,
Lorraine

RAlph and I enjoyed attending FAMU football games in Tallahassee, Tampa, Orlando and in Atlanta.
We had a great time and not only enjoyed the game but the band which was so great.
So glad and happy that we enjoyed those trips. Saw many friends and family.
Really enjoyed all of the trips and I am very thankful for
the time we had together.
Love,
Lorraine
4/16/18

Ralph waited patiently until one day that I told him, it was time for me to retire and was he happy.
He said, it's  time to enjoy some time together and we did.
I am grateful for the trips that we made and the cruises that we took together.

I will always remember the cross country trip to Las Vegas and back to Florida with stops at bases and forts all along the way.

By this time the grandchildren number had increased from 3 or 4 to 10. 

My career had many twists and turns.
Teaching music, internship, then federal programs for two years, Assistant Principal, Princiipal, then teaching the remaining 14 years.
Summer School-once.
Bethune Cookman--15 years adjunct and UCF-one year-Visiting Professor.

I enjoyed my different positions. Most were pleasant but I did have two rough school years but my dear husband said that he loved me before and he loved
me still. So, we went to Alabama at the end of the school year for which I am grateful. The trip was great. Kappas everywhere.

 

In summer of 1972, Ralph was transferred to Orlando Navy Base and he was on the list to be promoted to Lt. Col.
He and the daughters--Yvette and Denise were living in Maitland-Plantation Apts.
Then he remembered that he was invited to a wedding of Sammie Harkness and
Delores Hodge on October 22, 1972.
And I was the musician for this wedding.
We met over the punch bowl at the reception and the rest is history.

He called the same evening and we talked a rather long time and all I wanted to know was when we would see each other again but I didn't want to sound to pushy.
So, it was decided that he would come to the SHS football game. My sister, Charlotte would be marching and playing the clarinet for the first home game and
he was sharp wearing a lavendar shirt and tan slack along with boots.
At that time he smoked a pipe, but later he quit.

The game went well. I forgot who won. I  was fascinated with him. So intelligent, good looking, muscular, and a gentleman plus he spoke very well. You knew he was not from Sanford.

I enjoyed his company. Since we each drove to the game separately. I decided that I would take my car back home and we'd go somewhere and get a bite to eat  after the game and that was a good idea.

I liked how he said my name and I wanted to know more about him, his likes and dislikes.

We came back to the house for a brief visit then he met my parents. Then he said his goodbye. Of course, I wanted to know when I would see him again.
He was cool. Just said, he would be in touch.

His eyes were such a pretty shade of brown. I could feel myself melting a little at a time. He was so kind, knowledgeable about many things, smart, intelligent, artistic and neat.

I started to clean my room and try to get things in better order.I said to myself, oh me o my, he is so neat and you know what that means. He is orderly, etc.

Time moved on and we were dating exclusively, he was sharing everything about himself, his life, his family and his marriage. Once November rolled around, we started to talk seriously about marriage and of course that was fine with me.

So, we began to make plans. He gave me a beautiful engagement ring and we went to pick out a ring for him. Then we set the date, first it was August, then April, then it became January 26,1973 the last Friday in the month.

Wow, I didn't have long to plan. So, we were going to get married in my parent's home but that changed and we were married at Allen Chapel A.M.E. Church in Sanford at 6:00p.m by REv. J.E. Connelly.
The reception was held at the Holiday Inn in Sanford on the waterfront.

We spent the weekend in Daytona, a weekend to remember. The real honeymoon was during the summer a two week trip trhough the mountains of Tennessee, then to Covington, VA,(met family there) then to Annapolis, Md, then to South Carolina then home.
It was a happy time. I knew that he had borrowed a van to pick me up and I was
asked to have everything packed and ready to go. Charlotte told me that I should be ready earlier because she thought that Ralph would come early and
guess what? She was right. He was there 30 minutes early but I was ready.

It was so exciting. Just being married to him was wonderful. We discussed if we would have children because I wanted to be a Mom. So we were blessed with one daughter, Charlotte Maria on Dec. 26, 1974 then we were blessed with another daughter, Dorothy Celeste on Oct. 11, 1976. They joined their two older sisters Yvette Rene and Denise Gail, who were in Ft. Lauderdale with their Mom.

We moved from the apartment to military housing and that was a great experience. I liked the base very much.
I enjoyed the commissary and all the amenities plus everyone saluted Ralph
when he was in uniform.

The doctors were great to my children. We basically had the same doctors and that was fine with me.

We moved to Altamonte Springs the year before Ralph retired and that was in 1976. He retired the following year, 1977.

it wasn't too long, that he went to work at Martin Marietta, now known as Lockheed Martin.

Ralph worked there for 12 years a senior planner. One day I came home and I knew that something had happened. The ridges on his face, I will never forget.
All he said was that after vacation, he would not be going back to Martin.
He had been to Human Resources and they said that he would start getting retirement checks in Septemeber and he did.

Wow! and the last two daughters still had college to attend, but he assured me that we would make it. So, I believed him.  He paid off the Pre-Paid Tuition program for both daughters and all we had to pay was room and board, student service fee, buy insurance, clothing and books.

 

Ralph enjoyed college life. He made friends and it is there that
he became a member of Kappa Alpha Psi. This was a good
time for him and he enjoyed being in the bond of Kappa.

The ladies also were attracted to him. He had several nicknames
"Brown Eyes"  "Little Slippery" and others.

He enjoyed attending the movies on Saturday or Sunday afternoons that were held on campus and he dated different ladies but one lady was special and he was very interested in her, Gaynell Cooper, a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. from Ft. Lauderdale, Fl.
The relationship grew and he proposed his senior year and they were
married at graduation time. His parents and Aunt were planning on attending his graduation and his ceremony for the military and they planned to have the wedding then.
All went well and Gaynell made her beautiful wedding dress.

Ralph was very happy and this was an exciting time. They decided to move
to Annapolis and to live there until it was time for him to report for active duty in October 1957.

He had many experiences in Annapolis, but finally was able to get military medical service for his wife and to this union two beautiful daughters were born.
Yvette Renee Offer was born in Annapolis, Maryland -november 1957and later
Denise Gail Offer was born-February, 1960 at Ft. Rucker in Alabama.

His career continued and the family moved to the different assignments but eventually settled down in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida .
The daughters attended public school and were very good students.
Ralph was assigned to duty nearby -Homestead Air Force Base.(two tours)
The girls were enrolled in the public schools of Ft. Lauderdale. 

RAlph is the eldest son of the late Mr. Leon Offer and Mrs. Evelyn H. Offer of Annapolis, Maryland. He was born in Washington, DC at Freedman's Hospital, now Howard University's Hospital on April 16, 1934

Following Ralph's birth, three brothers(Leon, Calvin, and Larry) and one sister(Brenda) were born. He attended the public schools of Annapolis and graduated from Bates High School in 1952.

Ralph enjoyed participating in plays, making music, participating on the football team where he played quarterback. He excelled in track and went to state competition twice. Ralph enjoyed being with his friends and he kept up with the community news and frequented the Star Theater. He just happened to be around when couples strolled through the neighborhood and sometimes he and others in the family would follow the couples to their destination. Such fun they had.

Ralph worked several different jobs but the main job was for the Dairy Company where he delivered ice etc. He held this job from high school through college and after college. Ralph saved the money that he earned to attend Fl. A and M University in Tallahassee. His English teacher, told him about the college and he was immediately interested in going to Tallahassee, Florida far away from home.

The train trips were fun as many students were picked up all along the way.
Sometimes he caught a ride home by car with someone who would going North, but most of the time he rode the train and changed trains in Jacksonville, Fl.

Once while in college, Ralph thought that he was going to have to pay out of state fee which would have been significantly more money, but then Dr. Foster indicated that those in the band would not have to pay the out of state fee. Ralph played the drums in the Marching 100. He also cleaned the hospital and was given some meals there.

Ralph sang in the choir briefly under the direction of Dr. Rebecca Walker Steele and one Sunday he was late to rehearsal and that was the end of his being in the choir. Someone had invited him to a delicious dinner on a Sunday afternoon and I am sure that he forgot the time of the choir practice.

Ralph decided not to play football in college. He met some of the players and one player in particular, looked at him and said, "They will kill you" and laughed.
So at that moment, he decided to become a member of the band.