Ralph Eugene Ford, II, 63, of Panama City, Florida, passed away peacefully at his home on July 31, 2026. He was a beloved father, brother, friend, and musician; he will be deeply missed and cherished by all who knew and loved him.

Ralph was born at Bay Memorial Hospital in Panama City, Florida on July 12, 1963, to Ralph and Frances Ford. He grew up in Panama City, raised by his mother, his uncle, his aunts, and his grandparents. Ralph was a true Panama City native; he would wake up early in the morning, roused by his uncle and his grandfather, to gather his cousins and get the boat ready. From there, they would spend hours outside crabbing, fishing, and enjoying life in “the best town in the world.” When he wasn’t spending time outside at the bay, he could be found inside watching Star Trek and tinkering with his audio and video recording devices. He loved to make family videos of his mother and sister on their 8mm camera and record songs with his cousins. One video in particular was the film made with his cousin, Allen, and his sister, Renee, entitled, “Flip Out the Magician;” when it came to technology, he strived to be at the forefront of everything that was released.

Throughout his childhood, it was evident that there was something special about him. He had a gift for music that was unprecedented. He could pick apart any piece of music and find connections that others could not. Ralph began taking piano lessons at an early age with Mrs. Clio Pettis. It was her dedication to music and teaching that began to show Ralph what it truly meant to be a musician and a hard worker. From there, Ralph spent countless hours working on music and entertainment. He joined the band at Jenks Junior High School in 1975 when he was in 7th grade as a trumpet player. From there, he went on to become the drum major for the band in 9th grade. He continued to join the Bay County High School Band in 10thgrade, serving as a trumpet player and assistant drum major.When he was 15, he began his career as a professional arranger, with Celebration being his first arrangement to be sold to Gulf Coast Community College. He also began his career in radio, working for a local AM radio station in Panama City. This prompted him to choose Troy State University as the place he wanted to attend college; he wanted to be in Dr. John M. Long’s band and write music for him. He graduated from Bay High in 1981 and moved to Troy, Alabama to pursue his dream.

Upon entering Troy, he was put to work immediately. He was appointed as the director of the Jazz Ensemble I during his sophomore undergraduate year, a position he held for 15 years. During his senior undergraduate year, he began his tenure as the staff arranger for the university’s band program. He continued his work in radio at WTBF, joining them in 1981 as a DJ and commercial producer. He hosted various slots on the station’s schedule, including a jazz show and NiteFlite – the late-nightrock and roll show, as well as made many commercials. He also joined Delta Chi Fraternity. He completed his undergraduate degree in 1986 and was appointed to Troy’s music faculty as a staff arranger and the assistant band director by Dr. Long. He taught many courses including orchestration, arranging, theory, technology, jazz studies, and applied brass for 15 years. He began working on his Master of Science degree during this time as well, earning it in 1988. During his time at Troy, he met the woman that would become his wife, Amanda, at a band party in 1984. They proceeded to date for four years before gettingmarried to each other upon completing their degrees at Troy in Troy’s Sorrell Chapel on August 12, 1988. On April 6, 2000, Ralph and Amanda welcomed their first child, Melanie. On December 7, 2004, Ralph and Amanda welcomed their second child, Abby.

In the 1990s, he began expanding his career in media by joining his friend Andrew Findley to make commercials and films with their company, New Frontier Media, which later became Frontier South Productions. In 1996, they made commercials for Nantze Springs, Inc., with their iconic songusing the company’s slogan “Better Water, Bottled Better” and the dancing water bottles. Their work earned them 11 Addy Awards, and International Bottled Water “Aqua” Awards. They also filmed Katheryn Tucker Windham and her 13 Alabama Ghosts and Jeffrey stories in 1995, earning an Honor Tape Storytelling Award in 1996 for it. In 1999, he began his career as an exclusive composer and arranger for Warner Brothers Publications. This relationship continued with Alfred Publications, where he wrote and arranged over 250 titles, with his music being premiered and performed by universities, the military, professional, community, and school ensembles all over the world.

In 2001, Ralph was appointed as the Director of Bands at Troy State University. He served in this position for 10 years before retiring in June 2011. During his time as the Director of Bands, he wrote and arranged many of the tunes that the band performed and touched the lives of many students. Ralph also worked as a conductor, clinician, adjudicator, and guest lecturer throughout the United States and abroad. He received local, state, regional, and national recognition and proclamations for his achievements from academic, artistic, and government organizations. Most notably was his work in and with Canada; Ralph composed Royal Canadian Sketches for the Red Deer Royals of Alberta, commissioned by their conductor, Keith Mann, in 2000. After this, he met Douglas Macaulay who continued and strengthened his connection to Canada. Ralph would adjudicate and conduct at the Con Brio Music Festival over the years, and wrote the festival’s signature piece, Con Brio (March), which is performed every year.

His professional affiliations included the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP), Phi Beta Mu International Bandmasters Fraternity, and holds honorary memberships in Phi Kappa Phi, Kappa Kappa Psi, Phi Beta Mu, Tau Beta Sigma, and Sigma Alpha Iota. He was selected by Rotary International to serve as a Rotary Fellow to Namibia and South Africa. On March 7, 2009, he was elected to membership in the prestigious American Bandmasters Association.

Ralph was preceded in death by his mother, Frances Cotton Ford; his grandparents, Bernice and Theresa Cotton; his grandmother, Willa Mae Rutherford Ford; his uncle, Dr. Philip Cotton; his aunt, Barbara “Bobbye” Cotton Kochevar, and; his nephew, Jaydon Nicolas Gore.

He is survived by his daughters, Melanie Ford Parham and Meredith Abigail Ford; his son-in-law, John Cameron Parham; his sisters, Catherine Renee Ford Hunter and Carey Ford Ramey; his nephews, Justin Scott Gore and Ahren Connor Hughes; his great-nephew, Gabriel Keith Gore; his cousins, Allen Cotton, Marise Rowell, Christina Cotton, Philip Cotton, Crystal Rowell, Jimmy Kochevar, Jaime Kochevar, Jordan Kochevar, and countless others; his father, Ralph “Gene” Eugene Ford, and; his countless colleagues, students, and friends.

A Celebration of Life Service will be held for Ralph at Wilson Funeral Home, August 8, 2026, at 11 A.M. Visitation will be that morning from 9:30 A.M. to 11 A.M. The family invites all who knew and loved him to attend.