Ralph A. Volpe, Jr., 97, of Branford, the beloved husband of the late Theresa P. (Salemme) Volpe, passed away peacefully with his family by his side on Feb. 9 at Elim Park Rehabilitation Center following a brief illness. He was born on Dec. 3, 1925, in New Haven, the son of the late Ralph and Amalia Volpe.

He lived many of his adult years with his family in Hamden and moved to Branford in 2000. Ralph and Theresa shared 64 years of marriage and were the epitome of soulmates whose deep devotion to each other has been an inspiration to all who knew them. His greatest joys came from his life with Theresa and their three children, six grandchildren, and eleven great-grandchildren.

Ralph earned an honorable discharge from the U.S. Army in 1944, where he served as a private, Company B, 12th Battalion, Armored Replacement Training Center. An auto mechanic by trade, he owned and operated Auto Parts and Service, Inc. in Hamden until his retirement in 1985. He and Theresa spent 25 winters at their home in Boca Raton, FL., returning to Connecticut full-time in 2010. He loved building and repairing just about anything, including wood model boats, intricate jigsaw puzzles, and his vintage A.C. Gilbert American Flyer model trains. Whether in his home or in his cars, music was always playing as he was an avid lover of Italian American recording artists such as Al Martino, Don Cornell, Dean Martin, and Sergio Franchi. He enjoyed dining out at his favorite restaurants in and around Branford with friends and family. His special pride was his Platinum Blue1969 Lincoln Continental Mark III which he drove only on sunny days.

He is survived by his beloved children, Linda Dubois (Kermit) of Sudbury, Massachusetts, and Ralph A. Volpe III (Maria) of North Haven. He is also survived by his loving grandchildren: Tara Keating (Kevin) of Branford, Kristin Lentini (Bryan) of Cheshire, Dennis R. Volpe Jr. (Alexia) of Madison, Melissa Vanasse (Ryan) of Cheshire, Jennifer Dubois of Wayland, Massachusetts, and Amanda Jermine (Rob), of North Haven. He was also blessed to have experienced the joys of his great-grandchildren: Ashley, Tyler, and Andrew Lentini, Tessa and Ellie Keating, Dylan and Evelyn Volpe, Nathan and Matthew Vanasse, and Avery and Robert Jermine. He was predeceased by his son Dennis; and daughter-in-law Janis (Ferriola) Volpe; his sister Ann Bolognese; and his brothers, Ernest, Rudolph, and Arnold.

His funeral procession left the North Haven Funeral Home, 36 Washington Avenue, North Haven, on Feb. 15, for a Mass of Christian burial, at St. Elizabeth of the Trinity Parish at Barnabas Church, 44 Washington Avenue, North Haven. Entombment followed in All Saints Cemetery Mausoleum, North Haven. Friends called prior to the funeral. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation, 3010 Westchester Ave., Suite 106, Purchase, NY 1057, United States. www.crohnscolitisfoundation.org/chapters/westfield. www.northhavenfuneral.com.