Ralph W. Juhl, 94, of Waverly, Iowa, died on Oct. 11, 2013, at Bartels Skilled Care and Rehabilitation Center.

Ralph was born on April 12, 1919, in rural Plainfield in Bremer County, Iowa, the son of Anker P. and Olive M. (Wilson) Juhl. He was baptized and confirmed in the Plainfield Methodist Church, transferring his membership to Trinity United Methodist Church in 1959. He graduated from the Waverly High School in 1937. Following his schooling, Ralph helped his father on the family farm before entering the U.S. Army on Jan. 15, 1941. Ralph served with the second and fourth Armored Infantry Battalion during WWII under the command of General Patton. He was wounded in action and was transferred from a hospital in Europe back to the United States. Ralph was honorably discharged on Sept. 21, 1945, and was awarded the Purple Heart, Combat Infantry Badge, American Defense Service Medal and The European-African-Middle Eastern Service Medal.

Ralph and Lavon R. (Ormston) were acquaintances before the war and once Ralph returned home the couple started dating. On June 9, 1946, they were united in marriage at the Evangelical Church in Waverly. The couple made their home in Waverly. In December of 1949, Ralph and his brother-in-law, Merwyn Whitney, started the Whitney-Juhl Ford Tractor Company, which operated until 1977. From 1968 to 1988, Ralph served on the Bremer County Board of Supervisors. In 1987, Ralph began working with McKee Realtors in Waverly until retiring in 2007.

Ralph was an active and faithful member of Trinity United Methodist Church in Waverly. He was also active in many facets of the community, local government and veterans groups. He was a life member of the AMVETS, American Legion and V.F.W. posts in Waverly. Ralph was a past State Commander of the Iowa AMVETS, past President of Iowa Association of Counties and past President of the Waverly Chamber of Commerce and a member of Rotary for many years. In his spare time, he enjoyed traveling, fishing, working and making lists of “projects” to keep his six children and their spouses busy. We can’t forget that driving to and from coffee twice a day with his coffee buddies kept Ralph “occupied and busy” in the years since retirement, as did giving driving tours of his beloved town of Waverly.