Ralph Tidmore Jr.

August 18, 1936 - December 22, 2016

Ralph Tidmore                   He was a Marine and a million-dollar real estate producer in California before moving back to his native Alabama to go into real estate here. Ralph Tidmore of Guntersville died Thursday, Dec. 22., 2016, at Hospice-Shepherd’s Cove. He was 80.                 Arrangements are being made through Carr Funeral Home.                 He was born in Arab in 1936 and knew hard times as a boy. He was one of 6 children of Maude Mary Berry and Ernest Ralph Tidmore.                 After World War II, the family moved to Kansas City, Missouri, for his father to find work. Ralph was only 12 or 13, but changed his birth certificate to show he was 16 so he could work too.                 “I’m sure it fooled no one,” he said later. “But people liked me and hired me anyway.”                 He always had a job and that was true for the rest of his life. He did lots of different jobs as a boy – stock boy at a department store, usher at an all-night theater, unloading box cars at a train yard, setting molds at a foundry and even buying and fixing up old cars to sell.                 He joined the Marines in 1954 and spent 4 years in the service. He made sergeant in 3 years.                 He met his wife Joyce in June of 1955 and friendship soon turned to romance. They were married in August of 1956 in Kingman, Arizona.                 He worked in real estate in California and came back to Guntersville in 1985. He continued to work in real estate in Guntersville. He built several homes and bought several properties.                 He bought and remodeled the Lake Shopping Center.                 Mr. Tidmore had health problems most of his life. He had his first open heart surgery at age 39, another 6 years later at 45 and yet another at age 60. But he kept going and working on first one project then another despite his health issues.                 He was still driving as late as 3 weeks ago, even as his health continued to worsen. A week or so ago, his health took a turn for the worse. He had been at Hospice only a couple of days at the time of his death.                 He is survived by his wife of over 60 years Joyce; 2 sons, Ernie Tidmore (Laurinda) and Greg Tidmore (Karen); 6 grandchildren, Chelsie Larson (Matt), Jake Tidmore (Claire), Baelie Overby (Connor), Samuel Tidmore, Matthew Tidmore and Meagan Neal (John); 5 great-grandchildren; a brother, Bill Tidmore (Mae); and 2 sisters, Joann Overton (Joe) and Betty June Phillips.                 In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by a sister Dorothy Porter and a brother Donald Tidmore.