Ralph Bannister

Ralph W. Bannister, 92, of Central City, died on Friday, October 16, 2026 at Litzenberg Memorial Long Term Care in Central City.  Memorial services will be held on Friday, October 23, 2026 at 10:30 a.m. Solt-Wagner Funeral Home in Central City with Pastor Bill Stearns officiating.  Visitation will be held on Friday, October 23 from 9:30 a.m. until service time.  Burial of ashes will be held at the Mamre Evangelical Free Church Cemetery.
Memorials are suggested to the family to be designated at a later time.  Condolences may be sent to the family at www.soltwagnerfuneral.com.
Ralph was born on May 5, 1934 to Walter and Grace (Hayes) Bannister in Central City.  Ralph attended District 51 School in Central City and graduated from Central City High School in 1953.  Following his graduation Ralph enlisted in the United States Navy, where he served our country honorably from August of 1954 until July of 1958.  While enlisted he was stationed in the Hawaiian Island, and sailed to Japan and China on the USS Walker towards the end of the Korean War.  When he was honorably discharged from the Navy, Ralph returned home to Central City where he began farming.  Shortly after he got home he was united in marriage to Lillian Larson on May 24, 1959 at Mamre Evangelical Free Church near Marquette.  They moved to their family farm just outside of Hordville in 1963.  They remained on the farm until September of 2020, when Ralph and Lillian moved to Central City.
Ralph was a member of the Mamre Evangelical Free Church.  He and Lillian enjoyed travelling, and were able to travel to all 50 states, but his greatest love was getting to spend time with family, especially his grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Those left to cherish his memory are his children, Dale (Tonya) Bannister of Marquette,  Susan (Mark) Fitzgerald of Marquette, and Amy Bannister of Stromsburg; his sister, Margaret Hopwood of Columbia, MO; his sister-in-law, Marilyn Butt of Central City; his seven grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by his wife, Lillian; his parents, Walter and Grace; his daughter, Lorrie; son, Gary; brothers-in-law, Rolland Hopwood and Roger Butt; brother and sister-in-law, Robert and Carrie Bannister; granddaughter, Danielle Bannister; great-grandson, Briggs Barton; daughter-in-law, Karen Bannister; and parents-in-law, Floyd and Margaret Larson.