Ralph Eugene Manecke

Ralph Eugene Manecke

Fondly known as RalphE

Our hearts are broken to share that our brother Ralph passed away on February 2, 2025, in the Philippines. Ralph was born on June 12, 1968, in Bemidji, Minnesota as the youngest and only brother in a household of three sisters. So, you know the story - he was spoiled rotten. Our Mom wanted to put him in a helmet from day one because he was prone to klutziness from the start. On a regular basis Ralph would have a black eye or missing tooth. Being a lefty, he never knew left and right - he would only point the direction we needed to go.

Ralph was known to everyone in his hometown of Fosston because he delivered the Grand Forks Herald paper on a red three-wheeler early every morning. He was also a Boy Scout, a school patrol, and never missed a day of school.

Ralph graduated with a tight knit group of classmates from the Class of 1987 in Fosston. He was manager of the girl's volleyball team and witty journalist for the Gazette high school newspaper. If given three wishes his senior year, Ralph wanted to win a million dollars, get a great job, and buy a Hawaiian island.

Ralph graduated from Mankato State University with a BS in Accounting and began a career in retail including Blockbuster and Dayton's which were not his favorite, but the day he was hired by Ameriprise 18 years ago and moved to Boston, was the day Ralph flourished. He became the go-to IT guy for all the financial advisors in the Northeast states and bought a condo in East Boston.

Ralph loved the big city life of Boston and was the best tour guide for friends and family when they would visit. He loved to travel and visited many countries with friends. His best travel partner was his classmate Veronica Miller (Vern). After a few big road trips (and still friends), they set a goal to reach all four edges of the US. They had made it North, East, and plans were already underway for their next trip South to Key West, Florida.

In 2021, Ralph met Jerald Ceasar Suarez Tornea (Jade) and they took a big trip to Thailand for two weeks and, as they say, the rest is history. They were married in Boston on December 11, 2023, with their dear friend Meredith Wiles by their side. Last May, Ralph and Jade's friends and family threw a wedding reception for the couple in Stillwater, MN and Ralph could not have been happier. Ralph and Jade flew to the Philippines on January 25th to celebrate their wedding and first anniversary with Jade's family at a beach BBQ party in Agusan del Sur.

Ralph had a unique sense of humor, a big and generous heart, and stood up for causes that were important to himself and those around him. He had a big laugh you could hear across the room. His presence in our life was a gift.

Ralph is survived by his husband, Jade Manecke; parents, Gene and Clara Manecke of Fosston; sisters, Kerri Kolstad (Dave) of White Bear Lake, MN, Janet Cook (Ken) of Chandler, AZ, Deb Clement of Marshalltown, IA, and Australian AFS sister Helen Lechte (Warren) of Melbourne; nieces, Shawna, Sara, and Moriah; and many relatives in the Philippines.

Ralph was preceded in death by his niece, Rachael.

Visitation on Friday, February 21, 2025 from 11am-1pm at Mueller Memorial, 4738 Bald Eagle Ave., White Bear Lake, MN with Celebration of Life starting at 1pm. 

In lieu of flowers, please donate in Ralph's memory to a cause close to his heart, the Boston Alliance of LGBTQ+ Youth (bagly.org), or a cause close to your heart.