The last family owned funeral home in Thurston County.

Ralph Rideout passed away on October 17, 2022 at his home at The Sequoia Assisted Living Facility in Olympia, Washington. 

He was preceded in death by his beloved daughter Alison in 1996. He is survived by his sister Marilyn Simmons, brother Larry Rideout, and son Dave Rideout. He had a great love for his grandchildren Matt, Kim, Mike, Kristen, Jess and Alez; and his great grandchildren Mo, Eric, Lily, Molly, Ali and Callie. 

Ralph was born in August 19, 1937,  in Fort Meade, Maryland. He attended Colby College (BA Philosophy '59) in Augusta, Main, the Andover Newton Theological Seminary (Divinity '62) in Newton, Massachusetts and the Boston University School of Theology (MA Sociology '67). He became an ordained minister in the American Baptist Church and served in Boston and Detroit in the 1960s and 1970s. During that time, he founded a youth drug abuse prevention program, "Rap Line", in Detroit. In 1976, he moved west to Olympia to become the first director of the Washington State Department of Drug Abuse Prevention. 

Later in life, he worked as an independent businessman in the fields of landscaping, insurance, cattle, Christmas trees, and propane. But his true passion was raising llamas. He founded his dream farm, the "Llamma Tree Ranch", and was known throughout the region as "Llama Ralph".

Over the course of his life, he loved the outdoors, particularly fishing and backpacking, and always tried to find ways to weave that into his family excursions and business ventures. For years, he would guide sightseers on llama lunches and overnight trips through the winderness.

He was always open about sharing his own recovery journey, with over 40 years of continuous sobriety. He offered gentle guidance and assurance to countless friends who shared that "Road of Happy Destiny" with him for days, or decades.

A Memorial Service will be held at Woodlawn Funeral Home in Lacey, Washington at 1:00pm on Saturday, November 5th, 2022.