Ralph Pauly

Ralph Fred Pauly, born March 1, 1931, passed away at home at the age of 94 on Sunday, December 28, 2025. He was a devoted husband, a loving father of three, a proud grandfather of four, a lifelong educator, an avid learner, and a treasured friend to many around the world.

From an early age, his life was shaped by curiosity and a deep appreciation for other cultures. He was born in Brieg, Germany, and grew up in Beirut, Lebanon, where his father was the dean of chemistry at the American University of Beirut (AUB). After graduating from high school there, his family returned to the United States. He attended his freshman year at Whitman College and later graduated from the College of Wooster in Ohio in 1953.

After beginning his master's degree at the State University of New York, he saw an advertisement for a teaching position in Hawaii-and so began some of the most adventurous years of his life. He taught science at Mid-Pacific Institute, where classes often involved hikes to volcanoes, snorkeling in coral reefs, and learning the language and culture of Hawaii. After two years, he was contracted by the U.S. Army and Air Force to teach students on military bases in Japan, England, and Germany, spending one year in each location.

In 1963, he returned to Hawaii to study language and culture at the University of Hawaii. In 1967, he returned to New York to teach and met the love of his life, Fran. They married on March 30, 1968, and the newlyweds headed west to New Mexico after Ralph received a scholarship toward a doctorate in Anthropology at the University of New Mexico. While living there, they welcomed the birth of a daughter.

In 1970, they moved to Rhode Island, where he joined the faculty at Roger Williams University, teaching there for 30 years. The family lived in Riverside, Rhode Island, where they welcomed a son and later adopted a daughter from Korea. In 1978, they moved to Rehoboth, Massachusetts, and eventually retired in 2005 near their grandchildren in Powder Springs, Georgia.

Ralph had a strong Christian faith and was a member of West Dighton Christian Church in Massachusetts and Lost Mountain Baptist Church in Georgia. As a professor, he was known for his intellect, kindness, and dedication to his students. Remarkably, many of his former students remained in contact with him over the years. He loved nature, photography, hiking, canoeing and people, and he was always learning and eager to acquire new languages. Even near the end of his life, he was attempting to learn Nigerian from his hospice chaplain.

He is survived by his beloved wife of 57 years, Fran; his children, Tania Pereira and James Pauly; and his four grandchildren, Colin Pereira, Beth Findley, LeeAnne Neilson, and Frankie Pereira. He was preceded in death by his daughter, Alette Pauly.

He will be remembered for his gentle wisdom, his stories of faraway places, his lifelong friendships, and his unwavering faith in God, along with his deep belief in the power of education and human connection.

A private family memorial will be held on January 4, followed by a public celebration of life to be held in the spring.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to help persecuted Christians in Nigeria. https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a=https%3a%2f%2fwww.elexiogiving.com%2fapp%2fgiving%2fecwausadcc&c=E,1,2-fHNueAN3RzfkB084D3yUzCPb4xHaYAyT2Er8eS2WDxm9lhtbgXIGo-RVgS0xG5GEmHCPjGUv6wRAbcJpspUEDaXgVuoDC6bwevFlDgSR74_9A,&typo=1