Teacher, wrestling coach killed in TCH accident won't be forgotten

Randolph (Randy) Ralph, a man killed in a crash near Butter Pot Park this week, is being fondly remembered by a fellow teacher, and a student he coached in wrestling.

Ralph, 52, was one of two people who died in Tuesday'smulti-vehicle crash onthe Trans-Canada Highway.

• Teachers identified as victims of Butter Pot Park crash

He was a father, husband, teacher, and principal at the Newfoundland and Labrador Youth Centre in Whitbourne.

Ralph was also a wrestling coach, and that is how a 15-year-old Ian Janes met him six years ago. Ralph coached Janes in high school in Mount Pearl.

"I would not be the man I am today if I had not met him. He taught me the value of hard work. He showed me what dedication can get you."

Janes said Ralph changed the course of his life.

"When I met Randy, I was kinda going down a rough path. He seemed to pull me out. I've come a long way in wrestling. I've gone so far as to win the silver medal at nationals. Wrestling taught me the satisfaction of achieving difficult goals, so without Randy's influence, I don't think I would have gone and tried something like that. I was never an athlete before that."

Father figure

Noel Strapp, also a teacher, was a friend and colleague of Ralph's. They worked on the provincial wrestling association together, and had known each other for eight years.

"I know a lot of kids whose lives he saved through [wrestling]. Giving them an outlet when they need it. He played that father role for a lot of people. And did it really well," he said.

Janes said Ralph was certainly a father figure in his life. "To be honest with you, I never had a very good relationship with my own father. And Randy was really the individual who filled that hole for me."

He said Ralph was a big factor in him achieving goals beyond the wrestling mat.

"In school, Randy always pushed me to do the best I could. Now, I've got my kinesiology degree. I was on the dean's list. I learned to manage my time well. I don't think without Randy I would have managed to do that."

Janessaid he almost didn't get his silver medal at the 2012 Nationals because of a technicality, but Ralph stepped in.

"The (referees) ended up disqualifying me, but Randy fought and got me my medal, and I still have that national medal today. I will always use that to remember Randy. It's a honour to be able to speak about my experiences with Randy."

Janes said he learned of Ralph's death from another wrestler. "It was only a brief 30 second phone call. But after I got off the phone, I just broke down crying, not sure I could fathom the thought that Randy was gone, and in such a devastating way."

Death 'so unfair'

NoelStrappsaid Ralph had a great outlook on life.

"He believed in really simple things. He was always hiking, and loved the outdoors. And using those [to relieve] stresses and pressures in your life. I adopted those attitudes from him. He had a positive vibe. It was infectious, and affected everyone around him."

Strapp said he received a message from Ralph just hours before he was killed. He said it's still the last e-mail he has on his phone, and had to do with a coaches'conference, to see if Strapp wanted to go.

"Kind of numb," Strapp said, when he found out Ralph had died.

"I can't in my life ever remember any kind of level of tragedy like this that I've been connected to," he said.

"My first feeling wasn't even shock. It was this feeling of how unfair it was, how unjust, because of how much he gave to the community. Everything he gave to being an educator, to being a coach, in multiple sports."

Strapp said Ralph's death seems especially unfair because he survived a heart attack last summer, and was working very hard to stay healthy.

"It was inspiring to see it. All of that flooded into my head, and how unfair it was that he could be taken in an instant."