Ralph Benson Willis

Ralph Benson Willis, 93, of Morehead City, passed away on Sunday, December 10, 2023, at Carteret Health Care of Morehead City.

The family will have a private celebration of Ralph’s life later in the spring.

He was born in Williston, NC to the late Ivey G. and Ruby P. Willis. After graduating from high school at Smyrna, NC, Ralph attended two years of college at Oak Ridge Military Institute, in Oak Ridge, NC, and graduated in May of 1949.

He was employed as a bookkeeper for a company founded by his uncle, C.G. Willis, known as Willis Barge Line (WBL) in Norfolk, VA. He continued in that employment until being drafted into the U.S. Army in 1951 during the Korean War. Upon completing basic and advanced infantry training at Fort Jackson, SC, he graduated from leadership school and was selected to attend the twenty-three weeks of vigorous training at Infantry Officer Candidate School, Fort Benning, GA. After graduating as a new 2nd Lt, Infantry, he was stationed at Camp Rucker, AL, and taught infantry tactics to recruits for the remainder of the war.

He returned to WBL in Norfolk, VA. The company moved to Paulsboro, NJ in 1956 and Ralph was named Treasurer and a Director in 1957.

In 1981, he was named President, COO and CFO and remained in that position until his retirement in 1989.

Upon retirement, he and his wife, Carol set their anchor in Beaufort, NC. After 67 years of marriage, Carol died in 2018.

He is survived by his son, David Wayne Willis; daughters, Cheryl Ann Willis, and Janet Leigh Willis; granddaughter, Eileen Lauren Sloan (Jonathan Paul Sloan); great-grandson, James Ritzle Sloan; great granddaughter, Emma Mae Sloan; and his grand fur baby, Sampson the German Shepherd.

Condolences and life tributes may be sent to the family at www.noebrooks.net

Arrangements by Noe-Brooks Funeral Home, Morehead City, NC.