Ralph Martin, a native of Clifton and long-time resident of Wayne, NJ passed away on Tuesday, April 21, 2020, in Bridgewater, NJ at the nursing home where he was a resident.

Ralph grew up in Clifton, the son of Peter and Nellie (nee Egedy) Martin. He attended Pine Street Christian School in Passaic and Eastern Academy (now Eastern Christian High School), where he was the captain of the varsity basketball team. There he met his future wife, Ida Kuiphoff.

Ralph and Ida made their marriage vows before God, family, and friends on Friday, June 23, 1950 at the Epworth Methodist Church in the Riverside section of Paterson. After honeymooning in Cape Cod, Ralph began his military service.

As a first lieutenant (Guided Missile Officer), Ralph served in the US Army from 1951 – 1955. He was stationed in Aberdeen, Maryland, Huntsville, Alabama, and Albuquerque, New Mexico. During this time, he and Ida had their first son, Gregg.

After his military service, Ralph attended Rutgers Law School, and after graduation he was admitted to the NJ Bar Association in 1958. He practiced law from 1958 until 1973, when he was appointed as a judge of the NJ Superior Court in Paterson where he served until his retirement in 1995. During his tenure, he was assigned to both the civil and criminal division where he was the presiding judge. He served on numerous court committees and commissions including being chairman of the NJ Election Law Enforcement Commission.   After his retirement, he took a position of counsel for the law firm of Williams, Caliri, Miller & Otley in Wayne, NJ where he worked until 2012.

A long-time resident of Packanack Lake in Wayne, Ralph loved serving God's Kingdom on earth and was President of the Board of Education for Eastern Christian School Association in North Haledon, NJ as well as being a board member for the Eastern Christian Children's Retreat and Christian Health Care Center in Wyckoff, NJ. He was a member of the Pompton Plains Reformed Bible Church.

Ralph loved being with family and especially treasured time spent all together. He enjoyed gardening and loved outdoor projects in his yard. Ralph and his wife Ida also loved to travel and made many friends during the course of their adventures together. Long before the Internet and Google Maps, they used printed maps to plan their travels throughout Europe and the United States.

His health started a decline in January 2016 and after several hospital stays he moved to a nursing home facility where he resided until his death.

Ralph was predeceased by his wife of nearly 65 years, Ida, (2016) and son Brian (2012). He is survived by his sons Gregg, Jonathan and wife Adrienne, Lance and wife Katherine, five grandchildren and three great grandchildren.

Private funeral arrangements have been entrusted to Countryside Funeral Home, 724 Route 202 North, Three Bridges, NJ 08889.

Memorial contributions may be made in Ralph's name to Bethany Christian Services ( https://bethany.org/ )