Ralph Berets

Of Blessed Memory 1939 - 2022

Ralph Berets parents and older sister fled to Holland from Germany after Adolf Hitler came to power. His father financed the move by converting their assets into diamonds and gold and smuggling them out of the country. They settled in Amersfoort, where his father opened a fabric store and Ralph was born in December 1939. In 1940, the Germans invaded and occupied the Netherlands. With the help of contacts in the Dutch underground, Ralph’s father arranged for the family to go into hiding, paying their way with the gold and diamonds. In May 1945, Ralph and his family were liberated by the Canadians. In 1951, the family immigrated to the United States.