Ralph Dee Spilsbury

Ralph Dee Spilsbury, 79, of Mesa, AZ, passed away peacefully on March 25, 2021, surrounded by his family. He was born on August 28, 1941, in Whittier, California, the only child of Ralph Spilsbury and Georgia Ann Hurley (Smith). He graduated from Mesa High and married his sweetheart, Janelle Ray, on March 27, 1964. His large family was everything to him. He was the father of 8 children, grandpa to 32, and great grandpa to 8. Ralph was very active in FFA in high school and won many awards. His love of animals and nature continued throughout his life. Ralph was baptized into The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints when he was 16 years old and served a mission in the Northwestern States Mission. He received a Bachelors in Agricultural Science from ASU and a Masters and a PH.D in Agronomy from the U of A. He loved sharing his love of animals, plants, trees, gardening, soil, and fishing with anyone who would listen. He enjoyed serving in various callings in the church but especially looked back on his years of being Bishop of Mesa 27 th Ward with great fondness. Ralph is survived by his children Laura Jepson (Rick), Susie Petkovsek, David (Patti), Jeremy (Julie), Holly Eddy, Greg (Chelsea), Megan Turnbull (Josh). He was preceded in death by his parents, his wife Janelle, son Aaron Eric, and grandchildren Chad and Summer Petkovsek. There will be a viewing Wednesday, March 31 st , from 6-8pm at Bunker’s University Chapel (3529 E University Dr, Mesa). Services will be held Thursday, April 1 st , at 10am with a viewing prior at 9am at the LDS church building on Lindsay and Pueblo (920 S Lindsay Rd, Mesa). Here is the zoom link for those unable to attend in person. https://youtu.be/vAk3GaaHlak