Ralph Malcom Carney

Ralph Malcom Carney, PhD January 14, 1944 to December 13, 2020 Resident of Santa Cruz for over 40 years Ralph spent his last week with some of the people he loved, listening to his favorite tunes, Hawaiian music, stories, and laughter. Throughout the week, as in his life, Ralph's humor and interest in his friends and family was present. We were so thankful to have him with us. Ralph leaves behind his wife, Caroline Cooke Carney; his beloved granddaughter, Sloane Jean Birnbaum; his daughter, Corinne Koppel, his friend and Corinne's partner, Greg Mahan; his friend and Sloane's father, David Birnbaum; his sisters Sharon Balboa of Las Vegas, and Maureen Hruska of Florida; brother- and sister-in-law Bob and Sandy Cooke; his nephews, Sean (Jana), Brian (Peg), and Mathew Carney; his niece Dawn (Peter) Lansing, and many friends who loved him dearly. Ralph's niece, Dawn Lansing, RN, traveled from South Bend, Indiana, to help us care for Ralph. Ralph was so happy to see her and marveled that she had come to be with him. Ralph grew up in South Bend, Indiana, with three siblings. His parents were William Leonard and Bernice Alma Carney. His older brother, Bill, passed away December 13, 1973. Ralph attended Riley High School where he excelled at playing Cornet in the band. Upon graduation (1961), he immediately moved to Chicago. There he reveled in the music scene, attended college, and decided to enlist in the Army. He was a Viet Nam Era Army enlisted man and served in Germany in intelligence. Upon returning, he resumed his college career at De Paul University earning his B.A. with highest honors. Ralph attended graduate school at the University of Texas, Austin, and later moved to Santa Cruz to complete his Ph.D. in Personality and Social Psychology at UC Santa Cruz. There he met not only his wife, but also his mentor and friend, Theodore Sarbin, Ph.D., whom he worked with for many years at the Defense Personnel Security Research Center in Monterey as a research psychologist. His work focused on the policies, practices, and criteria for determining trustworthiness of people working national security jobs. With Dr. Sarbin, Ralph co-edited and contributed to two books: Citizen Espionage: Studies in Trust and Betrayal (1994), and Out in Force: Sexual Orientation and the Military (1996). Out in Force "refutes the notions that homosexuality is incompatible with military service and that gay personnel would undermine order and discipline...(in it) leading social science scholars of sexual orientation and the military offer reasoned and comprehensive discussions about military organizations, human sexuality, and attitudes toward individuals and groups." Ralph was very proud of his participation in the research into this topic, and the support it gave to gay and lesbian people in and out of the military. Once he retired, Ralph dedicated his life to following the recipes of Jacques Pepin, to the delight of his family and friends. He also started a quest to master Hawaiian Slack Key Guitar. With Caroline, he traveled to Europe, Peru, Africa, Hawaii, and Rome. He participated in Crossfit for many years with his coach and friend, Jim Baker. Ralph loved walking our dogs, Taj and JD (Jumping Dog), at the beach, and all around the Watsonville and Corralitos areas. He was also an avid birder, taking Birding classes through Watsonville Adult School. One of the first things he did after retiring was to volunteer at the Watsonville Wetlands. There he worked on educational displays, measured water quality, and assisted in nature walks with Middle and High School Students. After hearing of Ralph's passing, the director of Wetlands Watch wrote: "I've been thinking of Ralph since we spoke and just have so many nice memories of his joyful spirit and kindness over the years of his volunteering and docenting at the Wetlands Watch. He was a passionate supporter of the wetlands and wildlife of the Pajaro Valley." If you wish, a donation in Ralph's memory may be made to the nonprofit Watsonville Wetland Watch at www.watsonvillewelandswatchorg All who knew Ralph well would say he had 9,000 lives. In his early thirties, Ralph was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. He was considered by his doctors to be a model patient whose dedication to his health was noted in a medical publication, and used by his doctor as an example to his interns. As he ambled through life, Ralph fell off a roof, had a TIA, had not one but two pacemakers installed, was hit by a car, broke his elbow, endured eye surgeries, and valve replacements, all without complaint. He truly became the bionic man. In 2013, Ralph was diagnosed with non-Hodgkins Lymphoma and underwent chemotherapy. For about seven years he was in remission. In August, 2020 the Lymphoma came back in a more aggressive form. And for the first time, the doctors told us that treatment was not a possibility, and Ralph came home. We are thankful for the excellent and loving care he received at the Palo Alto and San Francisco Veterans Hospitals and Clinics through the years, as well as Dominican Hospital and his many dedicated doctors: Dr. Grunfeld, Dr Spence, Dr. Singh, Dr. Ling, Dr. Lay, Dr. Del Piero, Dr Sedgwich. A celebration of Ralph's life will take place July 18, 2021 (his wedding anniversary) from 1:00 - 3:00 at the Corralitos Women's Club, 33 Browns Valley Road, Corralitos, CA 95076. We will have a video connection available for those who cannot attend in person. Please go to Ralph Malcom Carney - GatheringUs Online Memorial to RSVP and share any memories or photos of Ralph.