Obituary of Ralpha Weisberg

Ralpha Miriam Weisberg (nee Dosberg) was born in Buffalo, New York on October 24th 1937 and died on February 18th 2020 in Troy, NY. Her parents were Harry and Rosalind Dosberg (nee Greenberg.) Ralpha is a graduate of Amherst High School in 1955, then on to Syracuse University, where she received degrees in Nursing and Education in 1959. She settled in Syracuse, New York. While there she met, and married Harold Weisberg, on July 20th, 1958. Shortly thereafter, they formed Rahal, Inc. and Harold's Pharmacy, located in Central Square, NY. In October of 1961, Harold and Ralpha had their first child, their son Michael, followed in September of 1963 by their daughter, Deborah. They raised their children in the Syracuse, NY area, the family spending their summers in Fair Haven, NY. She was a member of Congregation Beth Sholom Chavra-Shas, where she was President of the Sisterhood, and became President of the Congregation. She served as the first female president of a Conservative Jewish congregation in the United States. Ralpha was a member of the YMCA camping services board in Syracuse, overseeing the two camps run by the Syracuse “Y”. She eventually was appointed to the Board of Directors of the Syracuse YMCA, where she received the YMCA National Service Award. Ever a patron of the arts, Ralpha became the chairman of the Central New York Art Open, an annual art show sponsored by Congregation Beth Sholom and the DeWitt Community Church. Ralpha was also a supporter of the Syracuse Symphony, the Syracuse Opera, Syracuse Stage, and the Rosamond Gifford Zoo. Ralpha loved the “Lake Life” and was an active member of the Fair Haven Yacht Club, where she led the Junior Sailing program, and served as Commodore of the yacht club. She was a recipient of the Bill Wright award for service to the club. Ralpha was the secretary of the Buffalo Group of Toledo Seacort, Inc, until the company was sold in 2018. She was with her loving husband, Harold, at the Eddy Memorial facility in Troy until his passing in 2018. She then resided at the Eddy until her passing. She is survived by her children Michael (MaryAnn) Weisberg and Debbie (Mark) Zmich, and by her grandchildren David Weisberg, Katriel Weisberg, Molly Zmich, and Rachael Zmich. A private service will be held at Congregation Beth El, in Troy NY, on Sunday February 23rd, followed by the traditional observance of Shiva at the home of Michael Weisberg. A memorial service will be held at Fairhaven Yacht Club this summer. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be sent to the Harold and Ralpha Weisberg Junior Sailing Scholarship Fund, c/o Fair Haven Yacht Club, 14510 Westside Dr. Fair Haven, NY 13064.