Exhibiting his well-known sense of humor until the very end, Ralph Lee McCurdy passed away on May 7, 2026, at his home in Monroe, La. He was 78.

Despite a lengthy fight with an extremely rare and debilitating disease, Lambert-Eaton Myasthenic Syndrome (LEMS), he never complained and would answer questions about his well-being with “I’m just fine” even in his final days.

He had a steady stream of friends and family members constantly visiting and checking on him, which kept him in good spirits.

Ralph was born on Aug. 24, 1947, in Lake Providence, La., to Oenia and William McCurdy, the youngest of three children. He graduated from Lake Providence High School in 1967 and attended Northeast Louisiana State College (currently the University of Louisiana-Monroe). He was a member of Kappa Alpha Order fraternity.

He married high school sweetheart Judy Patrick in 1967. They have 3 children, 8 grandchildren and 1 great-grandchild. They recently celebrated their 58th wedding anniversary.

Ralph converted to Catholicism as an adult and became very active in the church over the years. He taught youth group at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Texarkana, Texas, and later became a key member of ACTS in Northeast Louisiana, helping to organize their retreats and leading the cooking team.

As an entrepreneur at a young age, Ralph started multiple businesses, but the ones he was most passionate about were farming and real estate. After farming for several years in his hometown of Lake Providence, he purchased a farm in the Texarkana, Texas, area in 1978. It would be in Texarkana that Ralph and Judy would raise their family.

It was through farming, and the buying and selling of agricultural property that led Ralph to the real estate business. He started working at Century 21 All Points in Texarkana and later bought a Century 21 franchise in West Monroe, La., in 1993 after his children were grown, and moved back to Louisiana to be closer to family. This later led to the start of the Keller-Williams real estate office in Monroe, of which Ralph was the broker and one of the founding partners.

Ralph loved the outdoors, especially the culture of a hunting camp. He enjoyed the work involved with getting ready to hunt, the cooking and the camaraderie more than the actual hunting. On more than one occasion, he let a big buck walk away, saying “I’m not mad at them anymore.”

Ralph came from an extremely large family with over 50 first cousins. Many of them would gather for family reunions annually in Lake Providence and Ralph would cook much of the food until very recently.

Ralph is preceded in death by his mother Oenia Clement McCurdy Vaughters, his father William McCurdy, his brother William Frederick McCurdy, his stepfather Arthur Vaughters, and a grandson, Francis Sprague Pugh.

He is survived by his wife Judy McCurdy, son Matt McCurdy (wife Liz), daughter Beth McCurdy, son Gabe McCurdy; grandchildren Grace Ann McCurdy Thomas (husband Bennett); Mary Frances Pugh Landry (husband Christian); Isabel McCurdy, Satcher Pugh, Banks McCurdy, Marshall McCurdy and Gus Pugh; and great-granddaughter Genevieve Thomas.

Visitation will be Tuesday, May 12, 2026,  from 4:00 P.M. until 7:00 P.M., with a vigil and rosary starting at 6:30 P.M., at Mulhearn Funeral Home, 2308 Sterlington Rd, Monroe, LA. A funeral mass will be held at Jesus the Good Shepherd Catholic Church in Monroe on Wednesday, May 13, 2026,  at 10:30 A.M. A burial service will be held at Lake Providence Cemetery on Thursday, May 14, 2026, at 11:00 A.M.

Pallbearers will be Jordan Bruscato, Christian Landry, Gus Pugh, Satcher Pugh, Brad Marionneaux, Banks McCurdy, Marshall McCurdy and Bennett Thomas.

The family would like to give special thanks to his hospice nurses and caregivers for treating him with love and respect until his last moments.