Mr. Bruce R. Corley
Cullum: 25446
Class: '64
Cadet Company: G1
Date of Birth: February 9, 1941
Date of Death: February 16, 2013 - View or Post a Eulogy
From the Howitzer:
Semi-brat and prep schooler, Ralph and his sense of humor and good nature
has added mirth and happiness to many of the grey Cadet days. He fought it
out with the Academic Department his first two years, but he found a system
to beat them, Cow Year. "Peanut's" consideration for others and
his ability to make all things seem good, will always keep him with close
friends.
Obituary
Bruce Ralph Corley
2/9/1941 – 2/16/2013
Ralph Corley passed away February 16, 2013 after a courages battle with Dementia,
he was 72 years old. Ralph is survived by his wife, Kathy Watson Corley of
Georgetown, and by his oldest son, Bruce Wayne Corley and wife, Angela Corley
of Dallas; his daughter Paige Robinson Corley and husband Seth Footlik of
Saint George, Utah; his son Kerry Jack Corley and wife, Stacey Corley and
grandson, Case Jack Corley, of Austin, Texas. He is survived by his sister,
Bette Rose Bowers and husband, Michael Bowers of Atlanta, Georgia and their
children, Carl Wayne Bowers, Bruce Bowers and wife, Deanna, and Michelle and
Frank Blancato and nephews and a niece. He is survived by his cousin, Danny
Wayne Robinson of Los Angeles, California. Ralph is survived by many sister-in-laws,
brother-in-laws and many more family and friends. He is preceded in death
by his parents, Bruce Wayne Corley and Rose Frances Robinson Corley of Virginia.
Ralph was lucky all his life, he valued family, spending time with his children
and playing sports. He was born February 9, 1941 in Elizabeth County City,
Virginia, more commonly known as Hampton. His father was in the Army and his
mother stayed at home and cared for him and soon his sister, Bette Rose who
was born the next year. The family was stationed in France and Germany finally
settling back in Arlington,
Virginia where his father served in the Army as a Warrant Officer and his
mother worked in the government offices. Ralph graduated Hampton High School
and joined the Army, soon after he was appointed commission into the United
States Military Academy at West Point and started prep school and four years
of higher education. During those years he was Editor of the The Pointer Magazine,
he performed in many plays and participated in many activities. Those years
were filled with learning and opportunity and Ralph rose to all challenges
as he would continue when his enlistment into the Army began in 1964 after
graduation. Ralph completed Ranger School with Airborne Wings. He served as
Senior Advisor to a Vietnamese Battalion during 1967, he was awarded the Bronze
Star Medal, Air Medal, Ranger Tab, and the Combat Infantryman's Badge obtaining
the rank of Captain. When his duty was up he enrolled in the University of
Texas School of Law and obtained his J.D. in 1972. He practiced as an attorney
at the Waters Rights Commission in Austin and the Environmental Protection
Agency in Dallas as Staff Attorney, Senior Attorney and Region VI Office of
Regional Council as Acting Chief of the Water Section. He left the EPA for
a few years and co-founded a local newspaper called the “Dallas Downtown
News” in 1977-1979 and then returned to EPA. Ralph's forte was his intelligence
and ability to eliminate the minutia of life and cut to the bottom line, those
of you who knew him know this, during his tenure at EPA he successfully negotiated
over 600 major environmental cases and received national attention and recognition
with the Department of Justice as an expert in negotiations.
In 1995, he retired from public service and his passion turned to wide open
spaces, salt-water fishing and marine life. He moved to the Gulf Coast and
fished and rode his bicycle everyday while exploring North
Padre Island in Corpus Christi, Texas, spending as much time as possible with
his children and enjoying a less hurried pace having breakfast every morning
with the Old Poops driving his red TR4 3 or 4 miles a day then returned to
fish from his Gulf Coast pier at his back door. He loved cats and had many
over the years. He would fish the marshes with a cast net and share his catch
with the Herons who would accompany him daily. Ralph loved nature and water
and was an avid sportsman and fan, his favorite team was the Dallas Cowboys.
In 2002 he was diagnosed with a rare type of dementia, Primary Progressive
Aphasia Fronto-Temporal Dementia with right hemisphere dominance for language,
and as illness became more prominent in his life he moved to a retirement
community, Sun City in Georgetown, Texas where he lived with his wife, Kathy
and many animals, he fed the deer in the backyard and enjoyed the wild turkeys
and birds.
He lived a wonderful life, he would
always crack a joke or have a smile, Ralph made the best of his illness and
enjoyed his children and sister, Bette Rose, who was always on his mind and
lips, he didn't
recognize many and his speech became limited but he would say her name when
he could speak no other words. His eventual decline led him to the Christopher
House, an in-house hospice facility in Austin, Texas. He arrived on a Tuesday
and departed on a Saturday, February 16, 2013 at 7:24 pm. He was called home.
He is greatly missed by all and will live forever in our hearts.
Ralph Corley Memorial Service scheduled for Saturday, February 8, 2014 at 11:00am, at Grove Hill Memorial Park, 3920 Samuell Blvd., Dallas, TX 75228, graveside ceremony located at Garden of Faith section.
