William Ralph Meador, born on July 9, 1929 in Oklahoma City, passed away at Riverside Methodist Hospital in Columbus, Ohio on November 24, 2017. His parents, Lillian Frances Watts Meador and Eric Bing Meador, Sr., predeceased him, as did his older brother, Dr. Eric B. Meador, Jr. Ralph was able to live the independent life he wanted until the very end. After breaking his hip in January, he became increasingly frail. Long-term heart problems eventually took their toll, and he passed peacefully after a short hospital stay. Ralph was a true exemplar of the wry expression "a real character." He was well-educated, well-read, and well-spoken, and he expected others to be the same. His dry sense of humor, along with a strong dose of irony, infused his stories and letters. He had vast and arcane knowledge of a seemingly endless variety of subjects and objects. He was a dear sweet man. To his niece and nephews, he was the absolute definition of the word "avuncular," in short, the perfect uncle. He was a good storyteller, who never forgot a birthday, spoke up for our welfare, and reliably found us the most unusual Christmas presents, usually at the last possible moment. A visit from Uncle Ralph at Christmas time was an event itself. Ralph spent his early years in Oklahoma City, where he attended Central High School. In 1947 he matriculated at Rice Institute, now Rice University, in Houston, TX, where he earned a BA with distinction in 1951 and a PhD in chemistry in 1956. His chemistry career began in 1956 with a research and development job in the Petroleum Products Division of the Continental Oil Company (Conoco) in Ponca City, OK. In 1968, he moved to Columbus, Ohio to work as an editor and document analyst for the Chemical Abstracts Service (CAS), the publishing and information branch of the American Chemical Society, until his retirement in 1994. Ralph was an editor to the end. Understanding his letters and email correspondence required a thorough knowledge of the CAS editorial style book and its standard abbreviations. One of his favorite expressions was "Everybody Needs An Editor," abbreviated of course as ENAE. This was both a way he explained any of his own textual errors, and also a concept he believed should be more broadly appreciated in the general population. He was a prolific correspondent, keeping up with many classmates, colleagues, and relatives over the years. He enjoyed attending his elementary and high school reunions in Oklahoma City and was especially proud to attend in his 50th college reunion at Rice in 2001. In Columbus, he attended many annual CAS retiree potlucks, where he enjoyed reminiscing with his retired colleagues. An expert genealogist, Ralph also kept up with members of the Meador and Watts families near and far. Ralph moved into independent living quarters at Wesley Glen in 2015 and made some good friends there among his neighbors and during his recuperation in the health center. Ralph especially appreciated his annual invitation to Thanksgiving dinner given by a former CAS colleague and his wife, Casey. He did have to miss that final dinner this year, for which everyone was truly sorry. Ralph was an avid rose gardener and served for many years as an enthusiastic volunteer for the Park of Roses Foundation in Columbus, where he will be sorely missed by Tina and her team of volunteers there. A talented musician, Ralph played the glockenspiel (of course he did!) in the Rice Band from 1947-1951 and was proud to perform with the band in the Cotton Bowl one year. A lifetime connoisseur of classical music, he was a good amateur pianist and tried to keep his 1927 Mason & Hamlin grand piano in good shape. He once calculated that his parents had paid for 443 piano lessons when he was growing up, for which he was profoundly grateful. Ralph worshiped at Disciples of Christ Christian churches wherever he lived. He was baptized as a boy at First Christian Church in Oklahoma City. Ralph always had enormous love and respect for his parents and the way they raised him. He was very attached to Oklahoma City and had recently begun contributing to the Lillian Frances Watts Meador Fund he established with the Oklahoma City Community Foundation. The family would especially like to thank Dr. Jean Flaherty, along with Donovan, Erin, and other 8th floor nurses, for their diligent, kind, and compassionate care during Ralphs final days at Riverside Methodist Hospital. Survivors include Patty Meador and Wade Shaw of Austin, TX; John and Collene Meador of Half Moon Bay, CA; William Eric Meador of Houston, TX; Robert and Barbara Meador of Clearwater, FL; Jim Meador and Liping Yang of Mountain View, CA; and Rick Meador of Denver, CO; along with three grand-nieces and three grand-nephews. A graveside service will be held at Memorial Park Cemetery in Oklahoma City on Sunday, December 10 at 1:30 PM. Arrangements are by Mercer-Adams Funeral Service in Oklahoma City. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donating to the Columbus Park of Roses Foundation, P.O. Box 09576, Columbus, OH 43209; Nancy Walsh, Development Officer, 614-645-3391, [emailprotected]. Graveside Service Sunday, December 10, 2017 01:30 PM Memorial Park Cemetery 13400 N. Kelley Oklahoma City, OK