In Memoriam

Ralph L. Straw, Jr.

Ralph Straw
1964 graduation

Obituary

Hunterdon County Democrat

January 6, 2016

Ralph Lynwood Straw, Jr., 73 years of age, of Delaware Township, died peacefully at home on Saturday, December 19, 2015, surrounded by his family.

Born in Morristown, New Jersey, he was the son of Ralph Lynwood Straw. Sr. and Anne Elizabeth (Saunders) Straw.

Ralph Straw
Recent photograph

He spent his childhood years at Rock Ridge Lake in Denville, New Jersey where he first met his wife, Diane, when they were children. Ralph (Lyn) attended Peekskill Military Academy in Peekskill, New York, where he graduated valedictorian of his class. He graduated magna cum laude in 1964 from Yale University with a Bachelor of Arts degree. While an undergraduate, he was a member of Skull and Bones Society, Phi Beta Kappa, and was an All-American collegiate swimmer.

Lyn and Diane married in 1965 while he was a first year law student at Yale. Following his graduation from Yale Law School in 1967, he and Diane moved to Somerville, New Jersey, where Lyn practiced as a partner for the law firm of Wharton, Stewart and Davis. He later accepted a position as in-house counsel for First National Bank of New Jersey, and later served in the same capacity for PNC Bank of New Jersey in Bridgewater, New Jersey.

Lyn was an avid marathon runner and triathlete. He would often recount memories of running the New York and Boston Marathons. He loved sports, particularly baseball and basketball, and took delight in discussing sports with his grandchildren. Lyn was often seen sporting his Mets hat or Duke shirt.

Lyn is survived by his wife Diane Patricia Temme Straw; children Jennifer, Heather and Andrew, granddaughter Sophia, grandsons Robbie and Brayden, Lyn's sister, Barbara Jeanne Mosier, husband Edward and their children and grandchildren; brother-in-law Robert Thomas Temme, wife Anne and their children and grandchildren, sister-in-law Mary Ellen Burke, husband Warren and their children and grandson, brother-in-law Thomas John Temme, M.D., wife Sue and their children.

A family service was held on December 22, 2015. Memorial donations in Lyn's name may be made to either Hunterdon Hospice, 2100 Wescott Drive, Flemington, NJ 08822 or to the Hunterdon Regional Cancer Center, 2100 Wescott Drive, Flemington, NJ 08822. Private cremation and funeral arrangements are under the direction of Holcombe-Fisher Funeral Home in Flemington, NJ.