Ralph Guenther

This Ralph Guenther may very well be my Uncle, brother of my mother, Mary Louise Guenther Becker.  He was born June 19 1924, in Rural Hildago (near San Juan) Texas.  His mother, Nellie Evangeline Shulze Guenther died 10 days after his birth. My grandfather, Lester Ernest Guenther was unable to care for the 2 young children (mother was 1 1/2, so Nellie's sister and husband took mother in, but couldn't take Ralph, Blanche was unable to handle more than one (they were childless), so Nellie's parents took Ralph.  Later they moved back to Missouri, but when Ralph was 9, they sent him back to his father in Texas. Lester worked for George Gilbert and his wife Henrietta raised Ralph as though he was their son.  They even sent him to college, where he received his Masters in Business Administration by the age of 20 when he entered the Navy as an Ensign and served on the USS Battleship Tennessee in WWII. That ship was straifed by kami-kazi pilots and Ralph saw his best friend killed on the deck.     I met my Uncle Ralph only once that I remember, and that was on the steps of either the University of Texas or the Capitol Building in Austin, TX.  I only remember the stairs.  I adored him at 1st sight.      As children, Ralph and Mary did get to visit each other - I have pictures of them as children, young adults and with their dad in Waco (or Weslaco).  Ralph later went to Vensuela and worked for the Texas Oil Company.  Mom and I tried several times to write him, but he always sent mom's letters back unopened.  When I married, I sent a larger envelope with pictures of my young family, he opened it, but put everything back and returned the envelope.  Upon hearing of his father's death in 1967, he told my mother,"if we hadn't been siblings, we might have been friends" she was so saddened.  Starting in 1970 we began trying in earnest to locate him after mom's meeting on a plane trip, the man who sent out the (I suspect) retirement from the Texas Oil Co, and he gave her the address where he sent the money to.  (that's when I sent my envelope of pictures & letter).  I don't know if Uncle Ralph ever married - he apparently lived in that apt for years.  I got names of the tenants that lived there in 1993, and finally tried calling them in 2008?. A lady I spoke with remembered him and said he's become rather strange, as in hoarding newspapers. He was told by the management to get rid of them, apparently he didn't, and in 2006 there was a fire in his apt., and 'they' took him away somewhere.  I tried to find out who "they " was to no avail.  Now I have learned that he is deceased, and the only thing I have found is on Find A Grave which has him in a Potter's Field - I am totally saddened.  I wanted so much to find him while I had my mother living with me from 2007-2013 when she passed of Alzheimer's and bring him back to Texas.  I can only pray now that he didn't die of that dreadful disease. If I had the money I would do my best to get his remains here to be close to his mom and my mom.  But, I am 73 and one never knows how long we will be here on this earth.  I pray I will see them all again in Heaven! I will continue to search for information, and maybe someone who knew him more recently......  a loving niece, Gerrye