Ralph E. Mehlhorn

He was born in Manchester on May 22, 1918, the son of Fred and Rose (Dietzel) Mehlhorn. An eagle scout, Ralph attended Manchester High School West, class of '35.

He joined the US Navy from 1936 to 1940 and served on board the USS Houston the entire time. He was on board for two Presidential cruises with then President Franklin D. Roosevelt.

During WWII, Ralph enlisted in the aviation cadet program in 1942 and was commissioned 2nd Lt. in 1943.

He received B-25 1st pilot combat crew training until June 1943 at which time he flew a B-25 to Australia. He had 25 missions in B-25's as captain. He flew 23 missions in B-24's for a grand total of 250 combat hours all from his unit's base in New Guinea.

Ralph was recalled to active duty during the Berlin Crisis. He served as a major training and operations officer. He retired from the Army National Guard in 1966 as a Lt. Col.

He had been employed by the V.A. for many years and retired as a division chief.

Ralph held membership in the American Legion Henry J. Sweeney Post #2, the National Association of Retired Federal Employees, the Reserve Officers Association, the National Guard Association of New Hampshire, and the Retired Officers Association.

Family members include his wife of 66 years, Eileen (Laurie) Mehlhorn of Manchester; one daughter, Carolyn Mehlhorn of Manchester; one son, Richard Mehlhorn and his wife Elizabeth of Hampton, NH; one granddaughter, Beth (Mehlhorn) Galvin and her husband George of Houston, TX; one grandson, William Mehlhorn, his wife Emily and their son Parker Mehlhorn, all of Pittsburgh, PA; nieces and nephews.

A funeral service was conducted in the funeral home chapel on Thursday, February 19, 2009. Burial with full military honors followed in Pine Grove Cemetery, Manchester.

Memorial contributions may be made in his memory to New Horizons for NH, 199 Manchester St, Manchester, NH 03103 or to the charity of one's choice.