Ralph R. Petty

December 4, 1948 - June 5, 2026

Ralph R. Petty, 77, of Yardville, passed away peacefully on Friday, June 5, 2026 surrounded by his loving family.

Born in Trenton, NJ, he was a lifelong area resident. Ralph attended the Hamilton Township school system, including Homedel Elementary School and Grice Middle School, before graduating from Hamilton High West with the Class of 1968. During his high school years, he earned Varsity Letters in both Basketball and Soccer. In 1967, Ralph was recognized by the Trentonian Newspaper as a 1st Team All-Mercer County goal tender.

Following graduation, Ralph enlisted in the Army Military Police Corps during the Vietnam Era. He proudly served in Yuma, Arizona, South Korea, and Denver, Colorado, and achieved the rank of Sergeant E-5 within just 17 months of his enlistment.

After completing his military service, Ralph began his career in law enforcement as a correctional officer at the Mercer County Jail in Trenton. He later joined the Mercer County Park Police as a Patrolman and was quickly promoted to Sergeant. Ralph then attended the New Jersey State Police Academy at Sea Girt, graduating with the 139th Municipal Class, and immediately began his career with the Hamilton Township Police Department as a Patrolman in the Patrol Division.

During his years with Hamilton Township Police, Ralph served as a Recruit Training Officer, where he trained 11 recruits. He also worked with the Safety Town Project located behind Police Headquarters. In addition to the preschool summer program, Ralph developed a safety program for Township elementary students that focused on bicycle and pedestrian safety.

In 1985, Ralph was honored as the Hamilton Township Kiwanis Police Officer of the Year for the Hamilton Township Police Department. He was later assigned to the Narcotics Unit as a Detective before transferring to the Detective Bureau. Ralph retired from the Hamilton Township Police Department in 1999 and continued his career in public service with the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office, serving as an Agent assigned to the Grand Jury and Insurance Fraud Unit.

After a remarkable career totaling 40 years and 4 months in law enforcement and public service to his community, Ralph retired. In retirement, he enjoyed staying active on the golf course, playing pickleball, and working out at Planet Fitness. More than anything, he loved spending time with his family, especially his grandchildren.

Predeceased by his parents, Ralph N. and Pauline L. (Petonyak) Petty; his mother-in-law and father-in-law, Helen and Paul Tereszczyn; and his son-in-law, Jeffrey A. Burke; and his beloved canine companions, Shannon and Madison; he is survived by his loving wife of 50 years, Linda (Tereszczyn) Petty; his devoted daughter, Colleen M. Petty; sisters, Susan (Petty) Kahler and Sandra Wolverton; sister-in-law and brother-in-law, Donna and Henry Flynn; grandchildren Jax Latham and Alexandrea Burke; lifelong friends, Thomas Buzinski, Michael Migliori and Edward Gerasimowicz;  as well as many nieces, nephews, other relatives, dear friends and colleagues.

Visitation for family and friends will be held on Thursday, June 11, 2026 from  5:00  p.m.– 7:00 p.m. at the Buklad-Merlino Yardville Memorial Home, 30 Yardville- Allentown Road, Yardville, NJ.

A funeral service will be held on Friday, June 12, 2026 at 11:30 a.m.

Interment with honors will be held at 1:00 p.m. SHARP at the Brig. General Wm. C. Doyle Veterans Memorial Cemetery, 350 Province Line Road, North Hanover Twp., NJ 08562.

Due to cemetery restrictions on flowers, in lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made in Ralph’s honor to Tunnel to Towers Foundation, 2361 Hylan Boulevard, Staten Island, NY 10306  https://t2t.org/ or to /St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105    https://www.stjude.org

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