Obituary of Ralph Thomas Shastany, Jr.

Ralph Thomas Shastany Jr. (''The Hitman")  61, passed away peacefully at his home in Waterford, April 12, 2019, after a courageous battle with pancreatic cancer. Ralph was in the loving presence of some of his closest family and friends. Born in Albany, NY on June 11th, 1957, Ralph was one of seven children of the late Ralph and Marianne Shastany.

He is survived by his devoted and loving life partner Kelly Bashford a.k.a. "Babycakes"; his beloved daughter Ciara Shastany, his "main man" his son, Ralph Shastany;  his dearly loved stepchildren: Michael Saleh, Katie (Jason) Richards, Jessica Bashford, John (Inika) Bashford, Julia (Calum) Griego, Jared (Ashley) Rzeszoto; his Siblings: Paula Shastany  (Ron Lance), Kurt (Nicole) Shastany, Jo Anne Shastany, Mark Shastany, Tracy Shastany-Breen (Daniel), Linda (Andrew) Bartow; granddaughters: Jade and Gianna,and lastly,he was lovingly known as "Pappy" to his 7 step grandkids: Samuel, Jacob, Abel, Raelynn, Landon , Callie and Camdyn.

Ralph enjoyed his time outdoors doing a variety of activities including camping by the fire with family and friends and soaking up the sun and salty air of the beach while working on his tan.  He was a very talented auto detailer, always striving for perfection when working on a vehicle.  Ralph also had a passion for landscaping and would often be seen around the house working on a chore in the yard from his “hit list”. 
In Ralph’s younger years, he was an avid canoeist, competing in many races with his father and siblings. 
Ralph loved his knees in the breeze and the wind in his face which fueled his love for riding his Harley Davidson and racing his Mopars, The Lil’ Grenade and The Creampuff. He so proudly displayed his many trophies and he cherished the many friends he made in both the riding and racing communities. 
Ralph was a life long fan of the NY “Jets, Jets, Jets” and cherished his white boxer who he appropriately named “Jet”. Ralph was always the life of the party and will be remembered by most as being shirtless with a smile on his face, a quick wink, his infectious laugh and a Coors Lite in his hand.  He was known by many and loved by most.  

All are welcome to attend a Memorial Gathering in his honor on Sunday, April 28, 2019, at the Riverview Funeral Home, 218 2^ndAvenue (corner of 104^thStreet), Lansingburgh, from 11 am to 12 pm, followed by a memorial service at the funeral home at 12 Noon. 

Immediately following the memorial service, there will be a celebration of Ralph's life at the American Legion, 35 Cohoes Ave, Green Island, NY 12183.