Ralph Havin
November 07, 1935 - June 30, 2024
Obituary
Ralph Bennett Havin was born on November 7th, 1935, in Grand Junction, Colorado to Ralph and Helen Havin. Ralph attended schools in Pocatello, Idaho and graduated from Pocatello High School in 1954. He completed his education with a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration and Marketing from the University of Denver.
Ralph met Doris Cotter in 1960 and on October 14th of that same year, they were married at the First Congregational Church. In 1963, their daughter Deborah was born. They enjoyed traveling in the US and overseas. One of the most enjoyable trips they took was to Europe and enjoyed France, a gondola ride in the Swiss Alps, Monte Carlo, and especially Nice. Ralph was an avid fisherman and loved fly fishing. They would spend many weekends fishing the Gallatin River between Bozeman and West Yellowstone staying in a cabin at the Almart.
Throughout high school and intermittently through college, he worked in the family business, Havin's Tire Service in Pocatello. While doing tire sales throughout a multi-state region, in 1959 the decision was made to open another Havin's Tire Service in Billings, which was incredibly successful with Ralph at the helm. His cheerful personality, keen wit and sense of humor, knowledge of the business and salesmanship was a winning combination and the business continued in full swing until Ralph retired at the age of 72 in 2007. Those who would call the “shop” would hear his cheerful “Havin's Tire Service, Ralph speaking” until the day he closed the door to his 548 Main Street location.
After retiring, Ralph was able to enjoy many of his passions. He loved to cook, can vegetables, and make his famous jam. Pickled beets, salsa, and blueberry, peach or strawberry jam were some of the best. He also loved cooking in general, and always had his Better Homes and Gardens cookbook by his chair. He believed the recipe was a “good place to start”, and frequently put his own twist on his dishes.
He was committed to working out at 4:00 am during the week and developed some very special friendships with those other folks who were as dedicated as he and worked out at the same time of the morning. It was also a great time to discuss politics.
Ralph was a NY Yankees fan and a Green Bay Packer Backer, and everyone knew it. He enjoyed going to Packers games at Lambeau stadium and most recently two Yankees games at Yankee Stadium. He also enjoyed trips to Kalispell to see his daughter, her husband and their cats.
His love for his watercolor painting and his pen and ink drawings were things that he would get lost in for hours at a time. Many people were fortunate to receive a piece of his art…. a subject matter he would match to their likes.
Ralph was a gregarious, joyful, optimistic, inspiring, pragmatic person as well as a survivor. He spoke to everyone he came in to contact with and enjoyed every conversation. He never had a bad day…he was grateful for every minute. He will be missed by many, but none more than his daughter.
He is preceded in death by his wife Doris, sister Patsy Blessing, brother Gary Havin, and parents Ralph and Helen Havin.
He is survived by his daughter Debbie Wilson and her husband Jim Wilson of Kalispell, and many nieces and nephews.
A Celebration of Ralph's life will take place at 11:00 on Saturday, July 27th at Dahl's Funeral Chapel.