Blessed are the meek

Remembering my grandfather, Frank Ribble (1937-2025)

[This past weekend, my family gathered to celebrate the life of my Grandpa Frank. I wanted to share a few reflections about him and thought this Substack would be a good format. I’ll be back to regular Ryan’s Boring Book Club content next week.]

If you’ve ever used the vacuum tube system at a bank drive-through, you can thank my Grandpa Frank. As an engineer for General Electric, he played a role in engineering parts of that system. His name is the first on the patent (US-4215790-A). If you’ve ever used a water fountain with a foot pedal, chances are good my grandpa played a role in engineering that, too. There are many objects people use daily that my grandpa helped develop, if even a small role.

My grandpa was brilliant. But he was also humble. I didn’t know about his patents until his 75th birthday when my aunt put a scrapbook together of some of his accomplishments. I also learned he had an MBA from Embry Riddle Aeronautical University, which Time Magazine once called “the Harvard of the Skies.”

Frank Ribble passed away on January 18, 2025. He left a legacy of not only material objects that helped improve the quality of life of millions, but also an impact on numerous people who benefited from his warmth, joy and humor. His influence was subtle, but profound.

He was not a man who commanded a room, but the room was better for having him in it. His effect was understated. A witty joke. A dry observation. When he did speak, it usually brought smiles and laughter to the room.

Once, during Easter lunch, he told us his 78-year-old sister in rural Wyoming wanted his help entering the hemp market. He dryly told us he was passing on this lucrative opportunity.

I loved listening to Grandpa Frank, even when I was a toddler.

He was a man of few words, but his actions spoke volumes. For nearly a decade, he cared for my grandmother after a near-fatal car accident. During much of that time, she had difficulty even moving out of bed. But he nurtured her, in sickness and in health.

My grandpa modeled love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness and self control. When Jesus says in Matthew 5:5, “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth,” I believe He is talking about Frank Ribble.

My grandmother loved my grandpa, dearly. She would sow clothing for him, including a black tie with a hand-stitched “R” into it. The “R” stood for “Ribble” but I like to think it also stands for “Ryan” now that the tie has been handed down to me. I was honored to wear the tie to my grandpa’s funeral in his memory.

There was a lot about my grandpa I didn’t know. His father died when he was a boy. By suicide. My grandpa was the one who found him. He was ten years old. The operation of the family farm suddenly fell on him, his mother and older siblings. He had to grow up fast.

Learning about the hardships my grandfather faced surprised me, not just because they gave new insights into a man who could be…enigmatic. But also because of how joyful my grandpa was. He was not bitter. He was never cynical. He had faced more than most, but took much of it in stride.

A few days after Christmas, we gathered in my grandpa’s room. He was resting, quiet. He had been under hospice care for several weeks. As I did the math in my head about when the next time I would be visiting my hometown, I realized this was likely goodbye.

Before we left, I was able to grab his hand and tell him how much I loved him. How grateful I was for my mom. How he had given me so many good memories over the years. How thankful I was for him.

After giving him a kiss on his head, I said goodbye.

We love you, Grandpa Frank.

Read Frank Ribble’s obituary.