Ralph Maxey Hardcastle, 92, of Bowling Green, Ky passed away peacefully at his home on Wednesday, January 26, surrounded by family. Maxey was born on July 9, 1929, to John and Hallie Hardcastle in Bowling Green.

After graduating from Alvaton School, he returned home to work the family farm where he spent the next 40 years raising cattle and raising tobacco. He was a US Army veteran having served from 1953 to 1955 as an engineer overseas in Japan. In 1964, he met Renetta while she was attending WKU. They got married in December of 1966 and just celebrated 55 years together. They have two children, Lori Ann and Samuel Forrest.

Maxey, "Pa", will be missed, but the memories are countless. He enjoyed spending time with family, especially his three grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.

Maxey was a member of the Bays Fork Baptist Church. He loved to fish, watch western movies, and eat plenty of sweets with every meal, especially banana pudding.

Maxey was preceded in death by sister Lottice Hunt and her husband John Hunt Jr., sister Doris Hardcastle, brother Kenneth Hardcastle and his wife Louise, brother Mitchell Hardcastle and his wife Dorothy, and brother-in-law Wayne Riley.

He is survived by wife Renetta Hardcastle, daughter Lori Ann Dubree and her husband Darrell, son Samuel Forrest Hardcastle and his wife Shellie, granddaughter Haley Renee Gott and her husband Andrew, grandson Nickolas Cole Dubree and his wife Baylee, grandson Sawyer Forrest Hardcastle, great-grandsons Cadman and Carsten Gott, great-granddaughter Joanna Nicole Dubree, brother Amel Ray Hardcastle and his wife Teresa, sister Edith Riley, and several nieces and nephews.

Maxey Hardcastle, who fought till the end, will be laid to rest on Monday, January 31. Due to the pandemic, a private graveside service will be held at the Fairview Cemetery with the family. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be sent to the Gideons International, www.sendtheword.org or Alzheimer's Research, www.alz.org. Johnson Vaughn Phelps Funeral Home has been entrusted with the arrangements.