Ralph Schiffbauer lived a life of service within his community, his nation, and his world.

Ralph Schiffbauer lived a life of service within his community, his nation, and his world. As a young man, Ralph served within the navy and educated other sailors. His careers here within the our community included running the local cafe in order to serve others, and then a construction company, in order to build for the future. Hard physical work did not intimidate Ralph, as he dug out around homes to rebuild foundations. Often Ralph would commission his employees to scoop out the gutters in town on his dollar, because the job needed to be done. Later in Ralph's life, when he saw homes sitting idle in our town, he bought them, made neccessary repairs, and then offered the homes for rent or sale. Many children have come into our school system because of the availability of housing. Also on Ralph's mind were the little things: he would replace the tattered flag at the ball field, empty the trash from Main Street and the city park, offer his time and equipment for civic projects, and befriend children in the community. Ralph Schiffbauer served on our city council for almost 30 years, and toward the end of his life, had stepped into the position of Mayor. In this capacity, Ralph gave countless evenings for discussion of projects, many Saturdays for the completion of the projects, and was an invaluable source of information in regard to the location of utility lines and when they were installed. Ralph's was an exemplary life lived in service to others.

- Yvonne Krehbiel
Bern, KS