ralph Aston now gone but remembered

[cecil j.]

Ralph Aston was born in Oklahomma and entered the 11ww at 16 yrs old and was driveing a landing bardge from the big ships too the beach and one time their ship got sank and he and many hundreds of other sailors floaed for some days in heavy shark infested waters and most got ate by sharks, there was less than 200 that didn`t and made it and wasrescued !He went from the pot too the fire again later in the war when his bardge got blowed out of the water on batan and McArthur pulled out leaving him a navy bardge driver turning 18 yrs old as on the death march held prisoners by the jamponiese ! He escaped ones and was later recaptured and put back in line and inturned in a prissoner of war camp there on batan !McCarther returned and Ralph Aston survived !
Ralph met up with Jean East anda few others when he come into the navy and his bunch of hillbilly country hunten hound hunter boys took uo learn diesel mechinicing and too run landing bardges with troops in em dureing the ww11 . When he mustered out after wards he went too Sannt Polla Ca. and took his sweethart wifr Mary Joe with him too Ca. and he went working as a desiel mechinic and kept hunting hounds and belonged too the Sanna Polla Houndsmen clu for yrs. He told me Junior Creggor was his best friend ! I met Ralph in 1976 in Sacramento Ca. he had a ton of sons and 1 daughter and allready a lot of gd babbys/ his home had 2 refriguators side by side and each was a double sized refridguator/ he had a good sized breakfastroom table and wall tellophone and a small oven cook stove in that kitch area and a small closet with about 4-5 drawers or levels of shelve in in. He kept his gernals,huntn mags,.,address books and crosses and litter welpings in that closet and what ever else was pressiouseto him.
The door was allway just 1 knock and ya open it and go through the liveingroom with gd children all over in there watchen tvand eaten somethin mama made em and in the kitchen sat Ralph by his back too the wall phone and Ronnie Rice, Richard Lewis (his son-n-law), Kenith Aston would be there too and me (they called me uncle jack). The coffie pot was allways on and kept fresh and in summer Mary Jo made tons of sweet teas for us !Hunters from all over come too buy,sell and trade hounds with Ralph. He hunted 3 night a week or sometimes 4 nights a week himself all night long and with Kenith and Richard, me and Ronnie hunted as partners back then. We get in skin coon and go sleep and the take em too pacific furr and wool fur buyers down town and then every checked in with Ralph by phone.Later wed meet at Ralphs and tell all these differant from one another hunts he was told on the phone earler and some red faces would crop up! He though it was just a hoot and said all the time you guys need too call one another first befor call me cause it sounsded like you all was on dfferent hunts ! hed laughf and laughf !We love that ole boy !
Ralph was soft spoke and very knowledgable about runnen dogs and coon dogs and big game, but not a bear and lion hunter but knew em all out in Ca. and alot of em traced what they started with back through Ralph and I`dbe sitten at thetable when one of em would call and bend Ralphs ear for 30-60 minutes long distance ph call and want too go and blow but reall was tryen too trace back on a dogh he had or his buddy come up with ?!
Hunten Xmass eve and new years eve with Ralph was a tgradition and the who bunch of us went each time/ kenith,Richard, me, some time a gd son and Ronnie . Ralph told us how he and Junior and then did it in Santa Polla befor he come here and about the long ridge and all the camp fires and runnen dogs and cranken the syreen and every fox an cyote fro many miles would answer it and all the hounds listen up too em howwlen and barken and was unchained and there be many different races goen on through out that night and guys had rocken chairs and folden chairs even a few soffas in the bed of the trucks too strech out on and listen too the hounds/ lots of polabern goen on too ! Ralph said that were it come from back in okla./ark and briught out to Ca after the war ended cause no jobs in the south they stayed by were their ships ported and the was relieces out of Sandiago and I guess San Francisco maybe too !?
Ralph kept his line of santa marria Walkers goen in Sacramento and line breed em for some yrs.The colors changed but the line kept goen.He taught me everythin I learned about breeding hounds,about cyote hunten, alot about bobcat hunten too.We loved a good fox or bobcat race prized it highlt and found it darnd near impossiable for eith of us too shoot one, allways wanted it there again for a next race maybe.
I left the area ans then left Ca too go home too Tn. I lost track of Ralph but I shouldn`t of, mary Jo died befor I left and Ralph just kept on but his health was not that good andy more. I remember him walking around with them long flatt feet he got from cum=ncussions under the landing bardge boats while driveing it in too the beachs with troops/ he never comlained about it and he was proud too of served and too learn a trade that made him a good liveing for the rest of his life.
One day I got too missen Ralph and called his house and his phone still worked but this gal answered and I asked is Ralph their ? She possed ans said (pop) has been gone now for 8 yrs ! I said wed he move too ? She gently said he died and we burryed him next too Mary Jo. It just florred me and tears run down my face and I was just too struck and hart sunk too say a word.Finally I asked were is Kenith ? She said no one know that same week he come packed up his stuff and his dogs and left home and noones hurd no seen him again !
I hope and want too believe Ralph Aston will be there to greet me when I pass-over and alot of other hunters I once knew also.I want too believe we will hunt hounds there for eternity and not grow old and have all them camp fire pollaberings and all that hunting is about with it/ I can`t see myself just sitten on a cloud playen a harp !



Ralph Aston I wish I could of been there and held your hand and befor ya left told you how dear a friend you was to me . I know ya know it but I missed the chance by 3200 miles a way too bethere and too tell ya.SEE YA WHEN ITS MY TURN and have Mary Jo fixxen us some ice tea or hot coffie
Jack Pepper

[Emily]

Jack, you should send that one to Full Cry!

[Arkansas Frog]

very good Jack

[RIFLEMAN]

Cecil,

You will be happy to know that two of Ralph's grandsons are carrying on the family tradition and spend their time running cats and bear. They are a couple of good houndsmen who know a thing or two about what it takes to make a good dog, and have seen more than their share of game. I should know, as I have been a friend of theirs for the last two decades.

Growing up, I used to enjoy listening to Pop share his stories about the golden age of running hounds.

[Bigfoot]

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