Ralph John Prall, 81, of East Boothbay, passed away Aug. 6 at his home. Born of conservative evangelical Christian parents on Feb. 15, 1930 in Paterson, N.J., he was the son of the late John Peter Prall and Trina Lagerveld Prall.
He gave himself the nickname RJ because he felt the name Ralph should belong to a pet dog or “go-fer” or a bus driver. He attended public schools in New Jersey, labored for a local farmer and Passaic County Public Works Department. After graduating from Purdue University and receiving an honorable discharge from the service, he returned to New Jersey where he raised his three children. He also traveled widely during his Aerospace career.
In September of 1986 Ralph married Irena Golja-Prall who, like him, shared many common interests in electrical engineering, physics and optics.
RJ served in the Army Signal Corps during the Korean Conflict working on experimental high-resolution, small target radar and a very early and crude version of a stealth infrared imaging system in the Signal Corps labs.
Spending his entire career in the Aerospace Industry, he headed a unique department of 120 engineers, software scientists, physicists and mathematicians along with addition shop, administrative and support personnel chartering classified defense systems used with tactical aircraft, ships and missiles. He pioneered the digital computers to automatically schedule and configures tests, log performance data and analyze the data, calculating “tagged performance coefficients” which were embedded into the tag memories of inertial guidance instruments and systems.
He was a member of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) Technical Committee for support systems for six years and served as its chairman in 1985-1987. He was active throughout his life in church work and public service, serving as Elder and Deacon in the Christian Reformed Church (CRC), and the Reformed Church of America (RCA), and Deacon in the Congregational Church (UCC) for more than forty years collectively. He was a hospital trustee for nine years in the Christian Health Care Center of New Jersey, and served on public and private school boards for about 20 years. He served on the board and as Education Committee Chairman for Easter Christian School System for nine years providing policy and curriculum liaison between schools and meeting ground between the board, professional teaching staff and parents.
He also enjoyed his time on the water, he served in the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary as a teacher, Staff Office, Flotilla Commander and Coxswain when he was attached to Station New York with Flotilla 1013 and upon moving to Maine in 1996 he was with Flotilla 0205 attached to Station Boothbay Harbor.
Survivors include his wife, Irena Golja-Prall; children, Barbara Prall Hannan and husband Frank, John and wife Katherine Mitchell Prall and Richard and wife Kristen Sikkema Prall; and grandchildren, Meghan and Matthew Prall, Joseph and Katherine Hannan, Jessica and Taylor Prall, and Kim and Kyle Grunstra.
Celebration of R.J.’s life 11 a.m., Sat., Sept. 3 at the Congregational Church of Boothbay Harbor, 125 Townsend Ave., Boothbay Harbor.
You are invited to share your condolences, photos and memories with the Prall family by visiting their Book of Memories at www.hallfuneralhomes.com.
Arrangements are entrusted to Simmons, Harrington & Hall Funeral Home and Cremation Service, 975 Wiscasset Rd., Boothbay.
