Ralph Carr

Ralph Joseph Carr passed away peacefully in the presence of his family on March 17, 2024, at the age of 71.

Ralph was born in the Miami suburb of Coral Gables, Florida on November 22, 1952. His South Florida upbringing laid the foundation for a lifelong love of swimming, scuba diving, and the Miami Dolphins. He graduated from Killian High School in 1970 as captain of the swim team.

The summer of 1970 brought the seminal event of his life when he accepted Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior at a Campus Life camp on Jekyll Island, Georgia. After spending one year playing water polo at Miami Dade Junior College and another working in the landscaping business, his newfound faith took him north to John Brown University in Siloam Springs, Arkansas.

At John Brown, the South Florida boy fell in love with Jeanne Nyberg, a southern Missouri gal. The two were married in December 1974 and graduated as Bible majors in May 1975. A job with Youth For Christ led them to the unlikely town of Topeka, Kansas, where Ralph enjoyed three years investing in the lives of high school students through Campus Life. In 1978, they bought Logos bookstore in Fairlawn Plaza. They renamed it RJ Carr's Family Bookstore and grew into two expanded locations before selling in the fall of 2004. Ralph then joined the Associated Management team in commercial property management from 2005 until he retired in 2017.

In Topeka, Ralph and Jeanne also grew their family with the births of three children: Paul (1979), Sara (1982), and Thomas (1986). All three graduated from Cair Paravel Latin School.

At home, Ralph loved working in the yard. Hours spent on his John Deere were a special time enjoying God's creation. His flower beds were filled annually with blooms from daffodils, day lilies, peonies, lilacs, phlox, impatiens, and hydrangeas. Myriad birds flocked to ever-full feeders while he observed them from his cedar-sided home nestled in the north Topeka woods. He kept an eye out for the migratory indigo bunting each May and participated in Cornell University's annual Great Backyard Bird Count.

Throughout his life, Ralph cultivated deep friendships and community wherever he went. Beginning in 1975, he attended Topeka Bible Church (TBC), where he was baptized by Pastor Thom Burbridge and taught college Sunday School. During decades at TBC, he and Jeanne hosted mini-flock and treasured the relationships forged within various Bible studies and home groups.

He looked forward to annual family vacations back to Miami and dozens of scuba trips across the Caribbean and Central America with close friends. As a member of the Masters Swim Association since the 1980s, he began working out at the local YWCA and YMCA before transitioning to Capitol Federal Natatorium. Most of all, he relished summers swimming outdoors at Blaisdell Pool in Gage Park.

Ralph is survived by his wife Jeanne; his children Paul (Heather), Sara (Chad) Olson, and Thomas (Ruth); his sister Rita (Steve) Stark; and his grandchildren Cody, Abby, Cali, Jameson, Grace and Hannah. He was preceded in death by his parents, Ralph and Aida Carr.

In celebration of his life, a memorial service will be held at 11:00 a.m. Friday, March 22 at Topeka Bible Church, 1101 SW Mulvane Street, Topeka, KS 66604. The family will greet arriving guests beginning one hour prior to the service.

Memorial contributions:
Topeka Rescue Mission Ministries, 600 N Kansas Ave, Topeka, KS 66608

Cair Paravel Latin School Building Fund, 635 SW Clay Street, Topeka, KS 66606

Midland Care Hospice House, 200 SW Frazier Circle, Topeka, KS 66606.

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