Ralph W. Stelter, 88, of Mt. Orab, died on January 21, 2015. He was born on July 4, 1926 in Norwood, Ohio to John and Elizabeth Stelter. Ralph graduated from Withrow High School and joined the U.S. Navy where he served until 1946.

Following his military service, Ralph joined the Cincinnati Fire Department and served 33 years as a firefighter and one of the first EMTs with the department.


In his retirement, Ralph was dedicated to restoring antique and vintage fire equipment. He built a fire museum at his home to share his passion for preserving fire service heritage. Ralph was an active member of the Miles Greenwood Historical Fire Apparatus Society and enjoyed attending fire musters.

Ralph is survived by his wife, Carole; his two children, Tom and Kathy; his two grandchildren, Leischen and Grant; and great-grandson, Rex Stelter. He is predeceased by his brothers, John, Carl and William and survived by Richard.

The family will receive visitors on Monday, January 26, 2015 from 4-7pm at the Moore Family Funeral Home in Newtown, OH. Ralph will be buried at the Buford Cemetery on Tuesday, January 27th at 11am.

In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Cincinnati Fire Museum.

MEMORIALS are preferred to the Cincinnati Fire Museum 315 W. Court St. #1 Cincinnati, Ohio 45202.