Ralph Campbell of Fort Washington, MD, formerly of Charlestown, passed away on Friday, August 27, 2010, at the Specialty Hospital of Washington in Washington, D.C. at the age of 73.
Ralph was born on July 16, 1937 to late Daniel and Maude (Davidson) Campbell. In 1954, at the age of 17, he enlisted in the United States Navy to serve his country and to see the world. Ralph served during the Vietnam Conflict. While in the Navy, Ralph lived in several locations: California, Tennessee, Washington, Guam, North Carolina, Florida and Maryland. In 1981, after 27 years of serving his country, he retired with the rank of Sr. Chief. After retirement Ralph settled in Fort Washington, MD, and served as a government contractor doing logistic engineering for military air programs. Ralph was best known in the Washington, D.C. area as “Grandpa Hogette” and was one of the founding members of the Hogettes, a Redskins Football fan group who dressed up in womens clothing with pigsnouts. The Hogettes raised millions of dollars for local charities, which earned him a place in the NFL Hall of fame. Ralph could be seen at Redskins games in his trademark yellow dress and referred to himself as “just another pretty face in the crowd”. Because of the Navy, Ralph had a love for the sea and in his retirement learned how to sail and became an avid sailor. To Ralph, family came first. He never forgot his Charlestown roots. Ralph would schedule vacations whenever he could to be home in Charlestown during Bunker Hill Day.
Ralph is survived by his beloved wife of nearly 50 years, Tommie Campbell, of Fort Washington, MD. He is the loving father of Melanie Woodson, Cheryl Andrews and Lori Cole all of Virginia. He is the adored grandfather of Jennifer and Patrick Day and Joshua and Jacob Andrews, all of Virginia. He is the loving brother of Daniel Campbell and his wife Grace of Charlestown, Muriel Davis of Medford and the late, Lawrence, Richard and Steven Campbell.
Ralph’s funeral service was held on September 5, 2010 at the Fairfax Memorial Funeral home in Fairfax, VA. Interment will be held at Arlington National Cemetery on October 5, 2010, @ 1 p.m. In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to the National Children’s Medical Center, (www.childrensnational.org). To send a condolence message visit carrfuneral.com.