Ralph Edward Kesler, Jr. was called home to heaven on Sunday, March 26, 2023. He departed peacefully at home in Raleigh surrounded by family. 

He was born on January 11, 1942 in Salisbury, North Carolina where he made lifelong friends and memories. Some of his best days were spent on the football field, baseball field and basketball court. He graduated from Boyden High School in 1961 as an All-American in football, baseball, and basketball. During that time, Kesler became the leading scorer in basketball with a career total of 1,200 points, a school record that lasted 23 years. In 2006 he was inducted in the Salisbury-Rowan County Sports Hall of Fame due to his record-breaking performance as a lettered, three sport athlete. 

As a first baseman in baseball, he was drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals out of high school, but declined in order to play football at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. As a fullback there, Kesler scored a touchdown in the 1963 Gator Bowl against Air Force, which was the first bowl game the university ever won. In his last college football game, against Duke in 1964, he broke the single game rushing record previously held by Charlie “Choo Choo” Justice since 1946. Kesler was also the first back in ACC history to win the Jacobs Blocking Trophy. 

In 1964 he was drafted to play professional football by both the Houston Oilers and Pittsburgh Steelers. After choosing to play in Pittsburg, he was injured in training camp. Leaving football behind, he enlisted in the United States Marines Corps, and during his three years of service he fought in Vietnam and later worked as a football coach at Quantico. He was honorably discharged as a Captain in June of 1973. 

Kesler soon made his way to Raleigh and enjoyed a long and successful career in the real estate and the construction industry. Most recently, he served as Deputy Sergeant at Arms in the North Carolina Senate for more than 10 years, a position he thoroughly enjoyed. In 1981, he married Patricia Griffin, and together they had one daughter, Sarah Swan, who was the apple of Kesler’s eye. He treasured the time he spent with her and her friends. Kesler was especially close to his son-in-law, Tod, who became the son he never had. Kesler’s family and friends meant the world to him. He loved and supported his sister, Judy, and remained close to his extended Kesler family in Salisbury and Raleigh as well as his wife’s family in Eastern North Carolina. Over the past eight years, he relished his time as a beloved grandfather to Darden and Harriet, who affectionately called him Gralph. During his lifetime, he developed many lasting friendships that grew deeper over the years. He never met a stranger and he loved spending time at sporting events, Bible Study, and with his breakfast clubs. His smile and laughter were contagious and will be missed by so many. 

While he supported many organizations over the years, the Marine Corps had a lasting impression on him, and Kesler assisted fellow servicemen and veterans in many ways during his life. Kesler helped found Back Home Boxes, a non-profit organization dedicated to sending care packages to servicemen serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. 

Kesler is survived by his loving companion Trish; his daughter, Sarah Swan O’Dea; his son-in-law, Tod O’Dea and granddaughters, Darden Langley and Harriet Barnes; his niece, Stacey Brown Smith; her husband, Whitman and daughter, Kesler Virginia. 

Kesler was preceded in death by his mother, Helen Swan Holmes Kesler; his father, Ralph Edward Kesler, Sr.; and his sister, Julia Ann Kesler Hall. 

A service celebrating Kesler’s life will be held on Friday, March 31, 2023 at Holy Trinity Anglican Church, 100 East Peace Street, Raleigh. A reception will follow the service at the church. 

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be sent to Transitions LifeCare, 250 Hospice Circle, Raleigh, North Carolina, 27607 and Tunnel to Towers Foundation (t2t.org/donate). 

Brown-Wynne Funeral Home, 300 Saint Mary’s St. Raleigh, NC.