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Obituary: Ralph Metzler, 77, Tennis Player, Ballroom Dancer

A Mass of Christian Burial will be offered at St. Patrick’s Church in Bedford on Saturday, Jan. 26 at 10 a.m.

Ralph T. Metzler, the eldest of five children, leaves behind a daughter, Michelle E. Metzler, residing in Bedford, two sisters, Jane Goble and Phyllis King, who reside in Sarasota/Bradenton, Florida, a brother, Edward Metzler who resides in Murrieta, California and a sister, Mary Kay Sandman who resides in Rockford, Michigan.


Ralph was raised on a farm in Brookville, Indiana, graduated from nearby Miami of Ohio University, received a Masters in Physics Education from Colombia University, NY and a second Masters in Math Education from Stanford University, CA.

His teaching career included positions at a private school in France, Walden School in NYC and twenty four years in the Math Dept. at Yorktown High School, Yorktown Heights, NY.  Mr. Metzler retired in 1992 to continue a tutoring practice.  Throughout his life, Mr. Metzler was a fitness club enthusiast and tennis player at the Saw Mill Club, Mt. Kisco. He also ran 10K Races and skied on Bromley and Stratton, Vt. where he had a farm/rental ski house.

In his later years he became an avid gardener and showcase ballroom dancer with the New York Dance Center, Dobbs Ferry, NY.  It was on his way to a Salsa Showcase in Bridgeport, Ct. on Saturday night, April 28th, 2012 that he had an automobile accident that left him unconscious for over eight months until his death on January 14, 2013.

By those who knew and loved him he will be remembered for his infectious laugh, his entrepreneurial spirit, his wide range of cultural interests and friendships and most of all his love for and commitment to family.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be offered at St. Patrick’s Church, 7 Pound Ridge Rd., Bedford, NY on Saturday, January 26th at 10am Interment will be private.

Tommy LaMotta January 20, 2013 at 01:15 am
Ralph was a good man, proud to call him friend.
Jeanne January 20, 2013 at 07:11 am
I just heard about Ralph's passing. His many friends in the ballroom community will miss him. I know you're doing a waltz in Heaven, my friend.

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Lisa Buchman (Editor) June 6, 2013 at 10:14 am
I loved all the music - the band belting out 'Sweet Caroline' was great!
Lisa Buchman (Editor) June 6, 2013 at 10:12 am
Heather, thanks! I saw you in the crowd! These are awesome. It was a perfect night for it! I'll addRead More a link to your post from mine.
Josephine Ziegler presented the school board with the petition at the May 9 meeting.
John Craig June 3, 2013 at 11:50 am
Regarding paragraph 5 -- the retirement incentive. I haven't read anything to suggest that theRead More retirement incentive and the insurance switch are related or that that KLDTA asked for one to get the other. When I read the initial release from the board, I saw them as 2 different cost savings initiatives. ---The district indicated that each retirement saves a net of $32,500 per year. Early Retirement Incentive Plans (ERIPs) are fairly common stuff among downsizing private organizations. I think it makes sense to use them here to accelerate cost savings. ---The original petition was well written. Now that we have addressed point #3, I think it's time to make further progress on point #2 -- a financially sustainable contract. ---And, experience suggests that if you really want to move forward in a collaborative way, you have to let go of the past. Continuing to harp on past mistakes undermines point #5.
Sara Weale June 3, 2013 at 12:36 pm
Thanks for your comment. I agree that we all need to move forward -- but in my opinion, althoughRead More this side agreement made a long-overdue change in health care carriers (while maintaining a high level of health care benefits/access to teachers, retirees and their dependents), the KLDTA again asked for retirement incentives in return - just as they did for the December 2010 MOA that extended the terms of their contract for two years and avoided going to Triborough. Under the 2010 MOA, KLDTA requested a $10,000 retirement incentive and 21 teachers took the offer (including the current leader of KLDTA) -- resulting in an outlay of $210,000 by the district. Although some savings might have been realized for "early" retirements, it is difficult to calculate the exact amount because the district has no way of knowing when a teacher would have retired without the incentive. If 20 additional teachers take the new retirement incentive which was increased to $17,500 for some reason -- that is a total cost to the district of $350,000. Don't forget that regardless of the incentive, teachers retire with full pension and retiree health care benefits. Yes - the district will realize some savings from the incentives -- but we likely would have realized similar savings without incentives and natural attrition/retirement of our teaching staff. What I think we need to pay attention to as a community is that it seems the only way that KLDTA leadership will agree to changes in the status quo is if they get something in return. The last two agreements with the KLDTA will likely result in approximately $500,000 spent by the district in retirement incentives over a five year period -- money in my opinion, better kept in the district system during these difficult economic times and in the tax-cap environment. In my opinion, finally switching health care carriers did not merit financial rewards for teachers likely retiring in the next three years anyway.
Katonah19 June 6, 2013 at 08:08 am
For more insight, take a look at BOE Member Charles Day's statement on retirement incentives inRead More exchange for KLSDTA's agreement to changes in Health Care here: http://bedford.patch.com/groups/opinion/p/days-statement-on-kl-union-contract-changes