Name: Ralph P. DeStephano



Life Dates: 12/23/1911 - 7/7/2008



City Of Birth: Italy



Pre-deceased by

Ralph is predeceased by his wife Mary DeStephano; parents Antonio Clementina DeStephano.



Survived by

He is survived by his wife Bette Cavuto DeStephano; children, Ralph A. (Maureen) DeStephano Maria (Raymond) Justice; grandchildren, Ralph (Ellen) DeStephano, John (Maria) DeStephano, Karen (John) Zarb, John (Sheila) Justice, Christine (Dan) Kretchmer, Carlo (Michelle) Justice David Justice; 15 great-grandchildren; sister Mary Sidoti; several nieces and nephews; dear friend Karen Hofschneider.



Donations

In lieu of flowers donations may be sent to Unity Health Foundation, 1555 Long Pond Rd., Rochester, NY 14626 in Ralph's memory.



Services

BARTOLOMEO PEROTTO Funeral Home, Inc., 1411 Vintage Lane (Between 390 Long Pond Rd.) where Ralph's visitation will be Thursday 7-9 Friday 2-4 7-9. Ralph's Funeral Mass will be celebrated Saturday 10AM at Holy Name of Jesus Church, St. Martins Way followed by his entombment in Riverside Cemetery.



Additional Information

Ralph was the Owner/Operator of Buckmans Dairy. He was instrumental in bringing Park Ridge Hospital to the Town of Greece. Ralph was a founder of Greece Chamber of Commerce and Greece Rotary. BOY SCOUTS SPEECH MARCH 31, 2005 I AM TRULY HAPPY TO BE HERE THIS AFTERNOON. I REALLY APPRECIATE THE HONORS, WHICH THE FRIENDS OF SCOUTING IS GIVING ME TODAY. I SHALL CHERISH THEM. IN ALL HUMILITY, I AM ESPECIALLY PROUD THAT YOU HAVE SEEN FIT TO RECOGNIZE MY CONTRIBUTIONS TO THIS COMMUNITY. BUT YOU SHOULD KNOW THAT ALL MY SUCCESSES ARE DUE TO THE WONDERFUL PEOPLE OF GREECE......THE WONDERFUL, KIND, GENEROUS PEOPLE WHO HAVE SUPPORTED MY BUSINESSES THROUGHOUT THE YEARS. IN 1950, I PURCHASED BUCKMAN'S DAIRY AND THEN I BOUGHT MY HOME HERE IN 1955 AND I STILL LIVE AT THAT SAME ADDRESS TODAY. WHEN I MOVED HERE, THE TOWN OF GREECE WAS JUST BEGINNING TO GROW. IT WAS RAW LAND.......ONLY A FEW HOUSES MOSTLY LOCATED WEST OF MOUNT READ BLVD. BUT THE PEOPLE OF GREECE HAD A STRONG WILL AND A STRONG SPIRIT. WITH A HANDFUL OF CITIZENS WORKING TOGETHER WITH BUSINESS, WE WERE ABLE TO MAKE GREECE THE THRIVING TOWN IT IS TODAY. HOW SO? FIRST, IN 1958, I, ALONG WITH OTHER BUSINESS PEOPLE, CREATED THE GREECE AMBULANCE SERVICE. THE FOLLOWING YEAR, IN 1959, WE FORMED THE GREECE COUNCIL, A CHAPTER OF THE ROCHESTER CHAMBER OF COMMERCE. LATER THAT SAME YEAR, WE CHARTERED THE GREECE ROTARY. AS I RAN MY BUSINESS OVER THE YEARS, I HEARD MY CUSTOMERS SAY THAT THERE SHOULD BE A HOSPITAL IN GREECE. AT THAT TIME, THERE WERE 45,000 PEOPLE IN THE TOWN AND ONLY 5 DOCTORS. SO, IN 1961, I FORMED A COMMITTEE WITH SEVERAL CITIZENS TO RAISE MILLIONS OF DOLLARS TO BUILD THE PARK RIDGE HOSPITAL, AND THE REST IS HISTORY. THE TOWN HAS GROWN IN LEAPS AND BOUNDS IN THE 50 YEARS I HAVE LIVED HERE. AND, I AM SO PROUD OF THAT GROWTH! THIS IS THE LEGACY WHICH MY FATHER AND MOTHER LEFT ME: "ALWAYS GIVE BACK TO THE COMMUNITY, ESPECIALLY WHEN IT HAS BEEN GOOD TO US." WE DID THIS WHEN WE BUILT THE PARK RIDGE HOSPITAL, FORMED THE GREECE AMBULANCE, WORKED WITH THE GREECE POLICE TO FORM THE ATHLETIC LEAGUES FOR OUR CHILDREN. ASSISTED THE MANY ORGANIZATIONS IN THIS COMMUNITY SUCH AS THE YMCA, OUR LOCAL CHURCHES AND CHARITIES, AND OF COURSE, THE BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA! WE MUST CONTINUE TO GIVE, IN EVERY WAY WE CAN, BECAUSE WE REALLY CARE. NOW MY FRIENDS, IN CONCLUSION, I WANT TO THANK YOU FOR CARING ABOUT ME. I THANK YOU FOR ALL YOU HAVE GIVEN ME AND MY FAMILY THROUGHOUT THE YEARS, AND I PROMISE THAT THE DESTEPHANO FAMILY WILL CONTINUE IN EVERY WAY TO GIVE BACK TO THE TOWN OF GREECE. THANK YOU AGAIN FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART! Ralph DeStephano was born December 23, 1911 the eldest of eight children. He graduated from West High School excelling in sports such as baseball, basketball and track. Because of his athletic achievement, he was able to win scholarships to Columbia University and University of Alabama. His dream was to become a lawyer. Three months before he was to graduate, Ralph's father died leaving him with a mother and seven brothers and sisters to support. He went to work at the Rochester Public Library sorting books. He was offered an athletic scholarship to attend Rochester Business Institute where they would pay his full tuition. During the day he would work to support his family, and at night, he would attend school studying business administration and commercial law. When he was 23, he took a job with the Union Dairy Company, knowing very little about the milk business. He did know that to be successful he would have to learn as much as possible by reading the trade magazines and speaking with different dairy salesmen. Within a year, he went from milkman to route foreman to office manager. He continued to learn more about the dairy industry, representing the management of Union Dairy at the Rochester Area Milk Dealers Association meetings, where he met numerous fellow businessmen. In 1936, he married Mary Canepa, who was his wife for 68 years until her death in 2004. Anxious to own his own business, Ralph purchased the Bonnybrook Dairy at the age of 28. Because of his perseverance, he was able to parlay his house-to-house milk delivery business into one of the largest milk distributors in the area. His business consisted of 14 trucks delivering milk to private homes, schools, restaurants and companies in the area. In 1950, Ralph purchased the Buckman's Dairy on Ridge Road in Greece New York. He went on to purchase homes adjacent to the dairy and convert the property into the plaza it is today. Ralph was very active in the Greece community as he carried on his business here. In 1958, with a group of businessmen, he created the Greece Ambulance Service. A year later in 1959, the Greece Chamber of Commerce was founded and a few months after that the Greece Rotary was formed by the same handful of citizens dedicated to the well being of Greece. Ralph is best known for his dogged persistence in helping build the Park Ridge Hospital. In 1961, he formed a committee with several citizens to raise millions of dollars to provide a facility that would give the people of Greece the health care they needed. Once the building was completed, he continued to be active in the hospital's expansion serving as the chairman of the building and grounds committee, vice chairman of the board of directors, currently chairman emeritus of the Park Ridge Foundation. Up until 2 weeks ago at age 96, Ralph still came to work to oversee the operation of his plaza on Ridge Road. Working daily with his son, Ralph and grandson, John, he gave them the direction and advice to maintain and run the plaza infused with his 73 years history and business experiences.