By Deborah Larsen
Ralph Thomas Bearss
Ralph Thomas Bearss was born in Santa Clara, California, on April 27, 1919, the son of James and Annie George Bearss. The Bearss family moved to Avon Township when Ralph was a small boy and lived on Bloomer Road. Before the war, Ralph was employed as a manager in the meat department of the A & P grocery in Croswell, Michigan.
Ralph entered the U.S. Navy in July 1942. He was first stationed aboard the destroyer tender USS Alcor at Norfolk, Virginia, and was then transferred to the destroyer USS Herndon, where he served as a cook. The Herndon operated in the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea, escorting convoys and troop transports and conducting antisubmarine patrols.
Ralph was released from military service in September 1945. He had married during his service and settled near New York City with his new wife. He was visiting family and friends in Rochester on March 19, 1972, when he was struck and killed by a passing car as he walked along Auburn Road. He was laid to rest in Brooklyn, New York.