Ralph W. Sneed of St. Louis Missouri was called to be with the Lord on Friday, December 19, 2025. The son of Leo and Ruth Sneed, Ralph lived a full life of service and abundant giving.
He is survived by his college sweetheart Rae, to whom he was married for 58 years. His sons Philip (Mallory) and Clark. His grandchildren Alexia (Dennis), Kalei (Tyrel), Bella, Farrah, Cannon, Brooklyn and Maddox. His great-grandchildren Reagan, Lucas and Ellie. He was a brother, a cousin, and an uncle to many.
Ralph was an active and integral member of Kirkwood Baptist Church and part of the choir and ministry teams. He sang lead in the quartet The Psalmsmen for over 4 decades. Ralph was an educator at Southwest High School and Kirkwood High Schools for his entire career and a football and baseball coach to hundreds of student athletes.
Ralph’s generosity knew no bounds. His faith, kindness and humor were uniquely his and will be sorely missed throughout his entire family and community. He fulfilled a call to educate, inspire and give.
Below is an excerpt from his son:
My Dad was a giant. A titan of character. An intellectual mammoth. A spiritual and philosophical student and mentor. A devoted son, brother and uncle. A committed husband and head of house. A shining sun of knowledge. A poet. A powerhouse athlete and champion of Football, Baseball and Softball. A coach to hundreds. Mr. Sneed, a dry humored teacher to tens of thousands. A masterful writer and wordsmith. A Sunday school teacher. A devout child of God. A rock of a father. A boisterous and brilliant choir member for more than half a century. An ardent cinephile. A fanatic of humor. Lead singer of the best church quartet for over 4 decades. A servant of others. A most devoted friend and ally to the broken-hearted. An insurmountable bar of gift-giver. A selfless sharer. An outdoorsman and naturalist. The one who taught me the true measure of a man. A joker. A behemoth of love and care as a Papa. A leviathan of masculine love. The most consistent being we will know. A grand man. A sincerely good man. A tower. A colossus. The world now has a hole in it, the size of the mountains and craters he taught us to revere. Lord, thank You for the time. My Dad was a giant.
A visitation service will take place on January 2nd at Kutis Funeral Home’s Affton Chapel from 6-8pm.
A memorial service will be held the following day January 3rd at Kirkwood Baptist Church at 11am. In lieu of flowers the family ask you please make donations to the ministries at Kirkwood Baptist Church at 211 North Woodlawn St. Louis MO 63122.
Truly sorry to have heard about this. What a beautiful and wonderfully written excerpt from his son. I will keep the family and all his friends in my thoughts and prayers.
My condolences to all who Ralph touched in this lifetime. He was clearly loved and respected beyond measure which speaks to who he was.
My condolences to Phil (Moon) “.Mama Moon” and the entire Sneed Family
My condolences to Moon and the entire Sneed family. Know he is watching over all of you now.
Mr. Ralph taught me so much and was my first mentor as I began my teaching career. He meant so much to my family. May we all strive to live our lives as he did: with abundant curiosity and kindness. Thank you for being our teacher and our friend.