Ralph Julian Kester

Ralph Julian Kester, 86, the husband of Nellie M Kester, went to be with Jesus on January 3, 2026, at St. Joseph’s Hospital. He will be missed dearly by his family and friends. Ralph was born in Portland, Oregon, to Floyd and Esther Kester. They lived in Portland with his older brother Eugene. Ralph graduated from High School in Portland. He graduated from Seattle Pacific College in May of 1961 with a Bachelor of Science. That is where he met his wife, Nellie (Livingston). They were married on June 23, 1961. They lived in Oregon, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Illinois, and Washington. They moved back to Wilmore in 2000. He taught elementary school in Oregon. He taught Jr. High School in Kentucky and Indiana. He received his Master's and Doctorate from Indiana University. When they lived in Ohio, he worked at Ohio State University. When they moved to Illinois, he was the Chairman of the Education Department at Greenville College. When they moved to Seattle, Washington, he started as an Assistant Dean of Continuing Education and, 6 years later, became the Dean. When they moved back to Wilmore, he worked at Asbury University in their Master’s program. Ralph enjoyed being outside hiking, playing tennis, and basketball. He also enjoyed playing his guitar, painting, and drawing. Ralph is preceded in death by his parents and brother. Ralph is survived by his wife, two daughters, Karen Crites (Greenville, IL.), Sharma Hartman (Joel) (Overland Park, Ks), and son Ken (Jenn) Kester of Puyallup, WA. He also has eight grandchildren and five great-grandchildren. Funeral services will be held at 11:00 AM on Saturday, January 10, 2026, at the Wilmore Free Methodist Church. The visitation will be at the church, beginning at 9:00 AM and ending at the service time of 11:00 AM, on Saturday morning. There will be a private family burial at Bluegrass Memorial Gardens. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to The Wilmore Free Methodist Church Benevolence Assistance, Gideons International, or Wesley Village. The Kester family lovingly submitted this obit. Betts & West Funeral Home is honored to serve Ralph and the Kester family during their time of need. An online guestbook is available at www.BettsandWestfuneralhome.com.