Mr. Ralph A. Douglas, Sr. was born August 17, 1953 in Memphis, Tennessee. He was the son of the late Wallace T. Douglas, Sr. and Mattie Bell Frazier Douglas. On Thursday, July 13, 2017, Ralph went home to be with the Lord. In addition to his parents, he was predeceased by two sisters, Mrs. Joan L. Crump and Sharon Parson, and a niece and nephew.

Ralph served honorably in the United States Marine Corps, “Semper Fi”. While still in Memphis, he worked for the Board of Education. After later relocating to South Carolina, he began working for the Columbia Housing Authority (CHA), retiring after many years of dedicated service.

On September 6, 1972, Ralph was united in Holy Matrimony to Marilyn Shaw. Their union was blessed with four children.

If you ever met “Papa Smurf”, as Ralph was affectionately known, you had a friend for life. He loved cooking, reading, fishing, playing pool and chess. He was also a little league baseball and football coach and was on the CHA Bowling League.

Ralph leaves to cherish his memories: his loving wife, Marilyn Douglas; four children: Yolanda (Raymond Bailey) Douglas, Ralph Douglas, Jr., Anthony Douglas and Sherrie (Clinton) Brown; four grandsons: Kenneth Trimnal, Sr., Ezra Heatley, Dayshaun Douglas and Elias Brown, and one great-grandson, Kenneth Trimnal, Jr., all of Columbia, South Carolina. He also leaves four sisters: Marilyn Douglas of Chicago, Illinois, Violet Douglas, Deborah Perry and Vanessa Alston; a brother, Wallace (Gloria) Douglas, Jr., all of Memphis, Tennessee; and a host of nieces, nephews, in-laws, other loving relatives and friends, all of whom will miss him dearly.