Ralph C. Christensen

Ralph Conrad Christensen, 78, of Canonsburg, PA passed away on Wednesday April 1, 2026, after a battle against melanoma and metastatic melanoma.  Family members were at his side.

Ralph was known by his friends as “Whitey” due to his blond locks and fair complexion.  He was born on July 13, 1947, in Washington, Pennsylvania and lived on North Wade Avenue in East Washington until he was 10 years old.  His family moved to North Strabane Township in 1957; Ralph graduated from Canon-McMillan High school in 1965.  He earned a BA (history) from Grinnell College (Iowa) in 1969; he attended law school for one year before he was drafted into the US Army, serving between 1970-1972; after his discharge he returned to earn his law degree from Dickinson School of Law (Carlisle, PA) in 1974.   He clerked for Judge Barron McCune, US District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania before joining a local law firm in Washington, PA.  His penchant was to help the underdog.

Ralph opted to use his legal expertise within small, entrepreneurial companies instead of working for more traditional law firms.  He joined JB Stevens, an advertising company, helping it to grow, positioning it for sale to Lamar Advertising.  He then acquired various pieces of real estate and formed his own company.

Ralph was a sports enthusiast throughout his life.  His first love was basketball; he stepped up his game in college where he captained Grinnell’s basketball team.  He continued playing on a travelling US Army team in Europe and recreationally well into his 60’s.  His other love was golf and the friends and family he played with up until his health precluded him from doing so.  He was a voracious reader of a broad range of history and religion (including the Bible), and he was more than happy to debate any topics whether informed or not!

He also loved to explore towns, beaches and golf courses along the Atlantic seaboard, from Cape Cod to Florida.

He was the third of five children raised by Lawrence Alfred Christensen and Grace Crutchfield Christensen. He was named after his paternal grandfather.  His one surviving sibling is Norman (Kris) Christensen; siblings who preceded him in death include Sigrid (Darryl) Novak, Roy (Cherie) Christensen, and Karen (Al) Broberg.  There are two generations of nephews, nieces, and cousins, too many to list!  Ralph was divorced twice but not from his step-family.  Until death he remained a devoted father to Jack, Paul and Marlana Brown and to Trina and Seth Loskot, and a grandfather to Dr. James (Briana) Boris and Danny Donnellan, and a great grandfather to Daniel Granese.

Interment of Ralph’s ashes will be at the National Cemetery of the Alleghenies on May 4, 2026 at 10:30 AM.  A Celebration of Life followed by a reception will be held on Saturday, May 23, 2026 at 12:00 Noon, at the Church of the Covenant, Washington, PA on Saturday, May 23, 2026.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the South Park Golf youth program at First Tee of Pittsburgh (golf)   Donate – First Tee – Pittsburgh  In the comment section please specify donation is for the Youth Program at the South Park Golf Course branch.

Arrangements were entrusted to Pittsburgh Cremation & Funeral Care, McMurray, PA.