Ralph Nelson Been
1936 - 2010

Ralph Been was born Aaugust 14, 1936 in Greenwood, Sebastian Co., Arkansas to Otis Lee &Isabella Fern Richardson Been. He married Shirley Joan Coleman from Fort Smith, Sebastian Co., ArDecember 18, 1955, His residence was Greenwood, Sebastian Co., Ar. Ralph enlisted in the Air Force May 130, 1964 and served until June 30, 1970. He re-enlisted July 1, 1970 and served until July 31, 1974. His rank was SMSgt Senior Master Sergeant (SMSgt) is the fourth Non-Commissioned Officer rank in the United States Air Force. It is just above Master Sergeant and below Chief Master Sergeant. Promotion to Senior Master Sergeant is the hardest enlisted promotion to acquire, for less than ten percent of eligible Master Sergeants move up. To be promoted, an airman must have very broad technical skills gained from many assignments, and they typically have a bachelor's degree, or higher, in their specialty. SMSgts are expected to act as mentors and leaders for non-commissioned and junior commissioned officers Ralph passed away May 13, 2010 at Dothan, Houston Co., Alabama. His burial was at Memory Hill Cemetery in Dothan. ------------------------------------ SMSgt, USAF retired, Ralph Nelson Been originally from Greenwood, AR, but a resident of Dothan, AL since 1974, passed away at his residence surrounded lovingly by his family on Monday morning, May 10, 2010 as a release from a long struggle with cancer. The Memorial Services will be held at 10:00a.m.Thursday, May 13, 2010 at Memory Hill Cemetery, Dothan, AL with Reverend Michael Lee Woodham officiating. Entombment will follow in Memory Hill Mausoleum with Southern Heritage Funeral Home directing. The family will receive friends at the cemetery immediately following the Memorial Services and at other times will be at the residence. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Covenant Hospice, 2855 Ross Clark Circle, Dothan, Alabama 36301 or a Charity of your choice. Ralph or "Nelson", as some family and friends knew him, was born August 14, 1936 in Greenwood, AR. He was a graduate of Greenwood High School and upon graduation he enlisted in the United States Air Force where he served for over 20 years. Ralph chose Dothan as his retirement location after becoming familiar with the area while stationed at Tyndall AFB. After retiring from the military, he completed several worthwhile projects and then worked with the United States Postal Service as a Rural Mail Carrier for about 10 years until he retired in the year 2000. He was preceded in death by his Mother, Isabella Richardson Been and Father, Otis Lee Been, brothers, William Buren Been, Richard Eron Been and Troy Lee Been. Surviving are his wife of 54 years, Shirley Coleman Been, originally from Arkansas, who will continue to live in Dothan; a daughter and son-in-law, Melodie and Dick Woodham, Cottonwood, AL; grandson, Shawn Shepard, Panama City, FL; granddaughter, Kristen Woodham Grantham and husband Matthew Grantham of Dothan, Al; great granddaughter, Raylee Claire Grantham, Dothan, AL.; sisters-in-law, Patricia Richards Been, Greenwood, AR, Hazel Been, Louisville, KY and Laura Been Carney, Louisville, KY.; nephews, Rick Been, Steve Been, David Been and wife Lynn, Doug Been, Scott Been and wife Kim, Jeffrey Been MD and wife Michelle; one niece, Tina Floyd, 14 great nieces and nephews also survive.