Capt Ralph D. Comer, USN Ret.

third of six children. Everything was up-to-date in Kansas City in the 1930’s. Ralph

was a precocious child who got his first library card at age four. He parlayed his

excellent elementary school education into five university degrees, including two

Masters and two Doctorates. He graduated from high school in 1944 at the age of

16 and was invited to attend Deep Springs College in Deep Springs, CA.

When Ralph turned 17, he joined the United States Maritime Service, where he

received training as a hospital corpsman and purser. He was in boot camp on VJ

Day. His first ship ran aground on the Goodwin Sands in the English Channel on the

12th of September 1945 and broke in half on the 14th. Ralph lived for three weeks

as a “destitute seaman” in England.

Ralph returned to civilian life in August of 1947 and enrolled at the University of

Kansas, where he met the love of his life. Ralph and Joanne were married after

graduation in April of 1950. They stayed in Lawrence, KS until he received his

Master’s degree in Human Anatomy, and then moved to Charleston, SC where he

worked on a PhD in Human Anatomy while he taught Anatomy in the medical

school. After receiving his Doctorate in 1955, Ralph enrolled in the medical school,

graduating in December of 1957 as a member of the class of 1958.

The Navy accepted Ralph on active duty as a senior in medical school. He interned

at U.S. Naval Hospital, Portsmouth, VA and subsequently served two and one half

years at Rodman Naval Station, Panama Canal Zone. He did a one year residency in

Internal Medicine and one in General Surgery at the U.S. Naval Hospital, Oakland,

CA. He received orders to the Bureau of Medicine and Surgery Department of

Communicable Diseases; where he was offered a carrot he could never turn

down—more education. After Ralph received a Master’s in Public Health from

Johns Hopkins University, the family moved back to the Canal Zone. Ralph was

assigned as the Commanding Officer of the Navy Medical Science Unit, Gorgas

Memorial Laboratory, in the Republic of Panama. He considered this the highlight

of his career. Ralph and Joanne returned to the United States when he received

orders as Commanding Officer of the Preventive Medicine Unit at Norfolk VA, PMU

2.

The next duty station was the Bureau of Medicine and Surgery Department of

Communicable Diseases. It was during this tour in Washington that he served as

Medical Officer on the U.S.S. Halsey, DLB 23. The Halsey circumnavigated South

America. Ralph became a Trusty Shellback on crossing the Equator and a Trusty

Mossback on going through the Straits of Magellan.

From the Bureau of Medicine and Surgery, he reported as Senior Medical Officer of

the Naval Dispensary at MCRD, San Diego. While there, he became interested in the

treatment of alcoholism and chemical dependency and subsequently became

Commanding Officer of the Drug and Alcohol Treatment Service of San Diego Naval

Hospital. Upon retirement in April, 1979, he became the Director of the Alcoholism

and Drug Abuse Treatment Center at the state hospital in Austin TX.

In 1983, Joanne and Ralph opened their marriage and family counseling service,

“Living Well”, at Lake Travis. In 1987, he was offered a part-time position as

Medical Director of a for-profit alcoholism treatment facility in Bastrop TX. Joanne

worked as co-therapist of the family program while Ralph treated the patients

medically.

They retired in January, 1994 and moved back to Austin to be close to family

members. Ralph and Joanne have four beloved children, Rowan and Ralph David,

who live in California; and Martha and Paul, who live in Texas. They moved to Air

Force Village II in January, 2008 where Ralph was active in the fishing club, pickle

ball, bridge, Village Voices and the Singalong Strings. The Comers were

instrumental in starting The Village Sweetpipes recorder group.

In 2012, after a trip by air to Rio de Janeiro, Ralph developed a pulmonary

embolism which, in time, destroyed his lungs, leading to his terminal illness. He

died on March 10, 2018.

Ralph is survived by Joanne, four children, six grandchildren and eight greatgrandchildren.

Ralph lived a long and blessed life.