Ralph Richard Hughes

Ralph Richard Hughes, longtime resident of Missoula, passed away unexpectedly Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2015, at St. Patrick Hospital from natural causes. He was 44 years old.

Ralph was born April 13, 1971, in Redding, California, to Lois and Dyrck Hughes. When Ralph was still very young, his parents divorced, and his mother then married William "Bill" Ruzanski, who would prove to be an amazing father, not only to Ralph, but to all of his siblings. The family moved to Montana in 1979, and Ralph attended grade schools in Eureka, Thompson Falls and Missoula. He attended Hellgate High School and graduated in 1990.

Ralph was not a man of many words, but his love for his family spoke volumes. He was especially fond of his nieces and nephews, and he never missed a birthday or holiday. Ralph loved to help people and could always be counted on to lend a hand no matter the task, and he never complained. Ralph loved animals and had several pets throughout his life, including his beloved dog, Poppins, and his feline friends, Noel and Mischief, among many others. He loved working with his hands, and took great pride working as a roofer. He was a veritable Rolodex of pop trivia, and some of his favorite interests were professional wrestling, Weird Al Yankovic, The Simpsons and anything in the "Guinness Book of World Records." Ralph had an innocence and exuberance of life that was not only admirable, it was contagious. His gentle and kind, loving spirit will be forever missed.

Ralph was preceded in death by his father, Bill Ruzanski; his brother, Jonathan Hughes; his grandmother, Beverly Trull; and his aunt, Cindy Querfurth.

He is survived by his mother, Lois Ruzanski; his brother and sister-in-law, Brian and Ericka Hughes, and their children Ashley, Cameron, Derryck, Fayedra and Genevieve; his sister and brother-in-law, Cynthia and Seth Randall, and their two girls, Gwendolyn and Victoria; and his brother and sister-in-law, William and Kate Ruzanski, and their boys, William and Andrew. Ralph is also survived by many uncles, aunts and cousins too numerous to name, but tremendously loved and treasured.

Cremation has already taken place and the family will proceed with a private celebration of life at a later date.
Read Ralph Hughes's Obituary and Guestbook on www.missoulafuneralhomes.com.