Our beloved father, grand­father, brother, uncle, and friend, Ralph William Hurzel­er Jr., died peacefully at home from the effects of age-related strokes on July 28, 2021.

Ralph, the eldest child of Ralph W. Hurzeler and Edith Fern Richard­son Hurzeler was born on October 21, 1934, in Salt Lake City. His father's career took the family to Montana where he grew up living in Anaconda, Phillipsburg, Butte, and Laurel.

He joined the Na­val Reserve before gradu­ating in 1953 from Laurel High School. His eight-year naval career included two years of active duty on the USS Destroyer Frank E. Evans. He participated in Operation Wigwam, the deepwater atomic bomb test in the South Pacific. While on leave he married Marilyn Bischoff on July 17, 1957. They had met the year before in Yellowstone Park. His service to his country kept them apart for months at a time before his discharge in 1960.

They settled in Idaho Falls after Ralph was hired by the Argonne National Laboratory. They adopted their son Daniel in February 1963, and daughter Robyn in May of 1965. For years the family shared his passion for the wild with family and friends in the mountains, lakes, and streams of Idaho and Montana. Ralph had the greatest respect for Mother Nature, he knew where to fish and hunt, and his camps were always cleaner after he left than before he arrived. Ralph retired early from Ar­gonne to take care of his ailing sweetheart, Marilyn who died in 1997.

In 2001, he and Dan opened a fly fishing store. Later he worked for the District 91 School Bus Transporta­tion Dept. as an aide for children with disabilities. His summer months were spent as a campground host at Beaver Creek and Campfire Lodge near West Yellowstone. His exterior was tough, his voice was strong, he meant every word. But the no-nonsense guy owned a soft heart, a friendly smile, and a warm sense of humor.

Ralph is preceded in death by his wife Marilyn and brother David. He is survived by his son, Daniel (Sarah) of Salmon; daughter, Robyn White of Idaho Falls; five grandchildren; brother, Stephen A. (Janet) of Idaho Falls; sisters: Carolyn (James) Kaiserman of Heber City, UT, Linda Gilligan of Bountiful, UT, and Laurel (Joel) Morris of Seattle, WA.

The family greatly appreciates the love and attention given to Ralph in the past few months by his daughter, Robyn, and granddaughter, Jamie Lewis. A graveside service, with military honors, was held on July 31, 2021, at the Fielding Memorial Park Cemetery. Services are under the direction of Coltrin Mortuary, 2100 First Street, Idaho Falls.