Ralph Fritz Ranard was born in Munich, Germany on June 6, 1951, and died on June 3, 2025.  Carolyn Anne Kobe Ranard was born on March 13, 1954, in Bemidji City, Minnesota and died on June 8, 2025.

They met in 1967 through mutual friends in the Mission Hills neighborhood.  Carolyn was 12 and Ralph was 15.  They quickly became fast friends and were devoted to each other.  Ralph would pick Carolyn up from Lompoc Valley Middle School in the Ranard family car.

Ralph was in the Marine Corp from 1969 to 1971.  He served 1 tour in Vietnam.

They had one child, Jessica.  Sadly, Jessica passed in 2016.

They had many happy years together and rarely would you see one without the other.  Carolyn developed dementia at the age of 55 and Ralph made it his mission to take care of her.  He had already cared for Carolyn's parents when they developed dementia.  For several years, Carolyn was able to function and care for herself.  As the disease progressed, she would simply follow Ralph everywhere.  They could be seen daily at Surf Beach, walking and taking pictures.

The last family Christmas they attended was in 2019.  At that point Ralph was her sole caregiver and he wouldn't let anyone help with her care.  When Ralph was asked why he didn't put Carolyn in a home, he said simply, "I love her."

Carolyn became bedridden around 2021.  She couldn't communicate or do anything for herself.  Ralph took care of all her needs.

When Ralph passed and Carolyn was taken to Lompoc Hospital for evaluation, the doctors commented on the fact that she had no bed sores and was obviously very well taken care of by Ralph.  They were very impressed.

They were together for 59 years.

They are survived by 6 grandchildren: Monique, Anise, Makayla, Julian, Fred, Destiny, and 4 great-grandchildren.