Paper: St. Louis Post-Dispatch (MO)
Deceased: DEMIEN, RALPH WENTZVILLE
Date: June 7, 2004
DEMIEN, RALPH WENTZVILLE,June 6, 2004; asleep in Jesus, beloved husband of Gertrude 'Trudy' Ellerbrock Demien;
dear father of Nancy (Andy) Bryant, David (Debi), Russell (Dana) and Mark (Leslee) Demien; dear grandfather of 12, great-grandfather of 2, brother of Lindell (Reg) Hindersman, Frances Juern and the late Florence Kumm, and Arlie Demien, Sr.; dear son of th e late Harry and Bertha Meyer Demien.
Mr. Demien was a member of Immanuel Lutheran Church where he served as an usher for 60 years. He was also a member of the church building planning committee and served many other capacities.
He was a member of Wentzv ille American Legion Post 323; an organizer and past president of Tri-County Builders Assoc; and a member of Carpenters Union Local 1987 of St. Charles County. He served on St. Charles Community College Foundation Board and was a recipient of their P.E.A.R. Award in 2003.
In 1998 he was a recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Wentzville Chamber of Commerce.
He also coached Khoury League for many years. WWII U.S. Army veteran.
Funeral service 11:00 a.m., Wednesday at Immanuel Lutheran Church, West Pearce Blvd., Wentzville. Interment South Linn Cemetery. Visitation 1:00 9:00 p.m., Tuesday at PITMAN Funer al Home, 909 Pitman Ave., Wentzville and 9:00 11:00 a.m. Wednesday at Immanuel Lutheran Church. Memorials preferred to Immanuel Lutheran Church Building Fund, St. Charles Community College Foundation Scholarship Fund or a charity of the donor's choice in care of the funeral home.
Paper: St. Louis Post-Dispatch (MO)
Deceased: RALPH W. DEMIEN
L ongtime civic leader, construction-firm owner
Date: June 8, 2004
Ralph W. Demien, a longtime figure in the St. Charles County construction industry and a local civic leader, died Sunday of cancer at his home in Wentzville. He was 81 .
Demien had been involved in construction since 1956, when he and his brother founded Wentzville Construction. In 1984, that company split into two firms -- including Demien Construction Co., which was run by Demien and his sons.
Over the years, Demien Construction has been a mainstay in development in and around the county, putting up residential subdivisions, commercial tracts, several churches and the Bear Creek Golf Course.
"Ralph Demien could be considered one of the frontier leaders in our community," said Donna-Marie Pierre, a member of the board of the We ntzville Chamber of Commerce.
Demien retired 13 years ago from the construction company but remained involved with its development arm. He also had a keen interest in St. Charles Community College, serving on the college foundation board for eight years and the foundation's advisory board the past four years.
College official Sally Faith, who also is a County Council member, said Demien often represented the school to the western part of the county, as part of its mission to encompass the entire county.
Last year, Demien received the college's Professional Excellence Achievement Recognition Award at its ninth annual foundation benefit event. Faith said the amount raised at that event was more than usual.
"People came to honor him," Faith said. "They wanted to be there."
I n 1998, Demien received the lifetime achievement award from the Wentzville Chamber of Commerce.
Demien was born in Schluersburg and was raised on a small farm north of Wentzville. He and his wife, Gertrude "Trudy" Demien, raised th eir three sons and a daughter in homes Demien built on Wilmer Road.
He was a member of Immanuel Lutheran Church, a church usher for 60 years and a member of the church building planning committee and other church boards.
He also was an Army veteran of World War II and a member of Wentzville American Legion Post 323. He was a founder and president of the Tri-County Builders Association and a member of the Carpenters union. He was a Khoury League youth baseball coach for many years.