Ralph F Gaiss

November 15, 1934 - January 4, 2025 

Ralph F. Gaiss, Sr. of Fayetteville, NY passed away peacefully surrounded by family on January 4, 2025. A native of Queens, NY and long-time resident of Long Island, Ralph settled in Fayetteville in 1980 with his wife Dolores, where they raised their family. After 60+ years as a leader in the agricultural industry, Ralph (reluctantly) retired in 2023 at the age of 88.  Most recently, Ralph was the CEO of the Northeast Equipment Dealers Association and prior to that he had a distinguished 40 year career with Agway, Inc. where he retired as an executive officer. He was a devoted husband, father, grandfather, and a man of strong faith. Ralph loved nature and the outdoors, with lifetime passions that included gardening, sports cars, boating and exercise.  Ralph served in the United States Navy, received a degree from the State University of New York and completed executive management training programs at Harvard Business School.

Ralph is survived by his son, Ralph F. Gaiss, Jr. with wife, Brooke and sons, Luke (8), Emmett (6) and Tyler (4) of Darien, CT; son, Geoffrey J. Gaiss with wife, Allie and daughters, Chloe (6) and Sawyer (4) of Nanuet, NY; sister, Annemarie Nickels of Floral Park, NY; and cherished nephews and nieces. He was predeceased by his beloved wife of 39 years, Dolores A. Gaiss; his parents, Anna and Frank Gaiss; and his brother, Heinz Gaiss. 

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 11:00 am on Thursday, January 9th at St. Patrick's Roman Catholic Church, 9 Clinton Avenue, Bay Shore, NY. Interment will follow at St. Patrick's Cemetery and a reception will follow locally.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and the Joe Raso Hospice Residence in New City, NY.