Ralph J. Coletta, 89, of Peoria died at 5:25 a.m. Wednesday, Oct. 19, 2011, at Methodist Medical Center.

Born Dec. 13, 1921, in Chillicothe to Cesidio and Assunta Aromatario Coletta, he married Ethel Mary Meyers Nov. 19, 1949, at St. Bernard Catholic Church in Peoria. She survives.

Also surviving are four daughters and two sons, Jeanie Caskey (Barry Stortz) and Michele (Dan) Smith and Robert (Valencia) Coletta, all of Peoria, Marianne (Pete) Hoener of Austin, Texas, Suzanne (Vince) Kennedy of Barrington, and Joseph (Debra) of Highland Park; 14 grandchildren; three great-grandchildren.

One daughter, Renee Joers; one brother, John; and one grandson; preceded him in death.

He was a World War II Army veteran, a graduate of the United States Army Infantry School at Fort Benning, Ga., and was commissioned as a second and first lieutenant of Infantry. He served in the South Pacific Theater of Operations. After the Japanese surrendered, he served with the United States Army of Occupation in Japan as an Intelligence officer with the general headquarters of Gen. Douglas MacArthur as a Japanese language interpreter. He also served the Fifth Army headquarters General Courts-Martial at Fort Sheridan, Ill., and as a reserve officer in 1948-49.

He was a graduate of Chillicothe Grade School; Peoria High School; earned a bachelor’s degree from Bradley Polytechnic Institute, now Bradley University; and earned his doctorate in law from the University of Chicago Law School in 1949 after military service and passed his bar examination in that year.

He founded the family law firm in Peoria in 1950, being later joined in the practice of law by his sons, Joseph and Robert. He had been a lawyer for more than 55 years and was recognized as a senior counselor by the Illinois State Bar Association in the year 2000.
He was admitted to practice before all Illinois State Courts and the Supreme Court of the United States.

He was also a member of the American, State of Illinois, Chicago and Peoria County Bar Associations. He served as a hearing officer for the Illinois Pollution Control Board from 1970 to 1975.

He served as assistant state’s attorney of Peoria County from 1952 to 1956, and later served as vice chairman of the business and Commercial Law Committee of the American Bar Association.

He served as president of two real estate development organizations, the White Star Corp. and as a general partner of The Ralet Limited Partnership and Mark Tidd Inc., all real estate development firms. He was a former director of the Illinois Valley Savings and Loan Association for many years and was a founding director and officer in Wheels O’Time Museum and served as a director of The Peoria Regional Museum Society.

He was a member of Land of Lincoln Packards and Packard Automobile Association, the Italian American Society, the American Legion Peoria Post No. 2 and the 40 et 8 of the Legion, the Knights of Columbus, Fourth Degree, Mount Hawley Country Club, the Union League Club of Chicago, the Creve Coeur Club of Peoria, the Bradley University B Club, the Bradley Chiefs Club and Lakeview Museum.

He was a former director of St. Jude Midwest Affiliate and an adviser to the Peoria Area Blind People’s Center. He was a former Republican Precinct Committeeman for 10 years, a former member of the Peoria Junior Chamber of Commerce, the Peoria Chamber of Commerce and was a Republican delegate to Illinois. He also was a Mass Lector and served on the Parish Council at St. Philomena Catholic Church, where he was a member for many years.

Memorial contributions may be made to South Side Bank for the college fund for his great-grandson, Aden Ahitow.

Tributes and condolences may be submitted to www.wrightandsalmon.com.