Ralph Lee Hamm was born on March 20, 1941, in Hurley Community, Tennessee, the second son of Howard and Pauline Hamm. He had a wonderful childhood growing up on a farm with his five siblings in Ramer, Tennessee. He was involved in high school basketball, baseball and was Class President all 4 years from 1955 – 1959. He was friendly, popular, and had a great sense of humor.

After high school, he worked for the FBI in Washington, DC, where he met Saundra Perkes, whom he married in 1966 and later divorced. Ralph and Saundra had four children; Scott, Brett, Tamara and Eric. Ralph was always a hard worker and spent many years working in the transportation industry including UPS, REA Express, and RISS International.  Ralph became an Atlas van lines agent in Blackfoot, Idaho, opening Hamm's Transfer and Storage.  He later drove a moving truck for Atlas accumulating over a million miles of safe driving.

In 1997, Ralph married Maria Jane Belo in Scarsdale, New York, and became an integral part of her family, including visits to Jane's family in Brazil. Jane and Ralph lived in New Rochelle, New York, Jackson, Tennesse, and finally settled in Cape Coral, Florida. Ralph worked in his later years as a security guard at various locations, working up until the summer of 2025. He was an amiable, dependable and valued employee. He enjoyed fishing, golfing and telling stories from his life experiences. He spent many hours absorbing MSNBC and CNN and then trying to indoctrinate his family, with little success. He was a good man, always willing to help anyone in any way. He passed away from complications of cancer on January 14, 2026.

He is preceded in death by his parents; and two siblings; Lowell and Luther.

He is survived by his wife, Jane Hamm; his siblings, Johnnie Lettow, Janette Moss, and Mary Lou Farris; his children, Scott (Nanette) Hamm, Brett (Brittany) Hamm, Tamara McLean, and Eric (Hannah) Hamm; his step children, Augusta Alves, Maria Helena Alves, and Armando Augusto Belo Alves; as well as 25 grandchildren, 21 great grandchildren, and hosts of cousins, nieces, nephews and friends!

Funeral services will be held on Saturday, January 24th at 11:00 a.m. at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1928 Chiquita Boulevard South, Cape Coral, Florida.  Friends are invited to visit with family from 10:00 – 10:45 a.m. in the same location.

For those wishing to view the service remotely, it can be accessed using the following zoom link:

https://us04web.zoom.us/j/3398300419?pwd=bmNjNEpMT2JpZ09sZXg5L3lzTGNIQT09&omn=79497128469

Meeting ID: 339 830 0419

Passcode: 291646

Jan 24, 2026 at 11:00 AM EST