Ralph Kennedy "Cappy" Black

Cappy Black was as loyal a friend as anyone could ask for, possessing that old-school sense of honor and integrity.

He fiercely loved his adopted hometown of Boulder and the University of Colorado, attending every Buffs football home game for some seven decades since first coming to CU as a student in 1948. He loved animals and was a proud veteran of the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps.

Ralph K. “Cappy” Black died April 4, 2024 at Longmont United Hospital after a brief illness. He was 95.

He was born April 19, 1928 to Ralph B. Black and Dorothea Kennedy Black in Sterling, Ill.

Cappy served in both the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps, including on the USS Tarawa in the Pacific theater during the latter stages of World War II.

He loved skiing and became a member of the Aspen ski patrol during his time as a college student. After graduating with a degree in marketing from the CU Business School in 1952, he began his lifelong career at IBM in Boulder.

Cappy’s daughter Cary and son Frank were born and raised in Boulder. On Oct. 9, 1982, he married Sylvia (Sib) Ellis in Colorado Springs and they spent the rest of his life together.

He was a member of the Episcopal Church and a long-time member of the Boulder Country Club. He was a member of Beta Theta Pi fraternity. In 1982 he received the Alumni Recognition Award from CU.

Cappy is survived by his wife Sib Ellis, of Boulder; daughter Cary Spier of Santa Fe; son Frank Black of Sacramento, Calif.; six grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren; he is also survived by Sib’s sons, Tom Ellis, Peter Ellis, and John Ellis, and her daughter, Sue Kemper; and his first wife, Marion (Nonnie) Mills, mother of Cary and Frank.

A graveside funeral service with full military honors will be held May 6 at Riverside Cemetery in Sterling, Ill.