James Ralph Hedgepeth

James Ralph Hedgepeth, 90, passed away on Feb 21, 2020 from Alzheimer's. A Louisville native, he was the son of Eva Davis (decd) and H. Mitchell Hedgepeth (decd). Ralph and his elder brother, Donald (decd) were raised by their mother. At 15, he was stricken with polio but had recovered by 17 to serve in the US Army during the Occupation of Japan.

Ralph married Elizabeth "Betty" Dickson in 1950 and began his 30 year career with the Louisville Police Dept. in 1951. He was the longest serving police photographer in the department's history. Life member of the Louisville Rifle Club, winning numerous championships. Ralph was an avid amateur astronomer and built 3 telescopes including a 14" Newtonian. Up until the last days of his life he could still recall a wealth of astronomical data. As a professional photographer outside of his police work, he created iconic time-lapse night images of downtown Louisville and documented the 1981 sewer explosion. Ralph was a member of Christ United Methodist Church.

Ralph's kindness and humor will be deeply missed by Betty, his beloved wife of 69 years. He is also survived by his nephew Steve Hedgepeth and his wife Marty, who helped take care of him during his illness and great niece, Heather Hedgepeth.

Visitation will be from 11:00 am until the time of the memorial service 12:00 pm on Friday, February 28, 2020 at Newcomer Cremations, Funerals & Receptions (235 Juneau Drive Louisville, KY 40243).

Interment of his ashes with military honors will take place at the New Albany National Cemetery following the service at 2:30 pm.

Memorial contributions may be made to the KY Humane Society or the Alzheimer's Assoc.

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