When Ralph Robert Ratledge was born on 1 January 1916, in Tennessee, United States, his father, Jack Alexander Ratledge, was 35 and his mother, Minnie Richmond, was 31. He married Florance Mary Martin on 16 May 1933, in McMinn, Tennessee, United States. They were the parents of at least 1 daughter. He lived in Lenoir City, Loudon, Tennessee, United States for about 10 years. He died on 17 February 2003, in Asheboro, Randolph, North Carolina, United States, at the age of 87.