Ralph J. Apton was born on October 16, 1930, and passed away on March 7, 2020 at the age of 89.  No services have been scheduled at this time.

Ralph attended the University of Chicago, receiving an MBA in finance and a BA in liberal arts. Ralph worked overseas for the U.S. Foreign Service and the Inter-American Development Bank, with tours in India, Mexico and Ecuador. He and served as Deputy Secretary of a Presidential Task Force on Military and Foreign Economic Assistance and served on the White House Task Force on Latin America Alliance For Progress as an Inspector General, working to establish pre-investment and feasibility study sections in public and private financial institutions in many countries in South America. After entering the private sector, Ralph was a financial consultant and advisor, specializing in health and long-term care insurance.

Ralph was a long-time resident of Great Falls. His purchased his Fairfax County listed historic home, renovated it, and worked to have the grounds certified as a wildlife habitat.

Ralph’s selfless service to the community helped preserve its rustic nature against overdevelopment. As an active member of Great Falls Citizens Association, serving a term as president and then as a board member, Ralph facilitated GFCA outreach meetings with other Great Falls organizations and local homeowner associations, to find ways that GFCA could better represent the interests and activities of the entire community. Ralph also authored first drafts of community petitions that supported the preservation of Georgetown as a Virginia Scenic Byway. He also lent his support or worked directly on many other civic projects, including better local usage of the historic Grange building, road and crosswalk improvements, athletic sport fields, and cost-effective engineering coupled with political solutions to resolve wastewater issues. Ralph also served as co-chair of the GFCA Long Range Planning Committee for several years and was involved in saving the Old Forestville Schoolhouse from demolition.

Ralph was a former director of Friends of River Bend and led the fight to prevent the Fairfax County Park Authority from closing the Visitors Center and making the space an unmanned park. His other current and past memberships include Fairfax County Republican Committee, Fairfax County Chamber of Commerce, U.S. Chamber of Commerce, American Marketing Association, The American Finance Association, Great Falls Historical Society, Amadeus Concerts, Great Falls Friends & Neighbors, and River Bend Club.