Ralph DeShon Sawyer [Jr.] was born on 5 October 1918, in Haverhill, Essex, Massachusetts, the son of Ralph D. Sawyer and Hazel Annie Seaman.

Ralph DeShon Sawyer Jr. married Esther Virginia Archibald on 5 December 1939 in Salem Depot, New Hampshire. Esther was the daughter of Erwin Archibald and Ida E. Archibald née Thurston.

Ralph enlisted in the United States Navy on 26 July 1944. While stationed at the United States Naval Training Center in Sampson, New York, Ralph wrote this postcard to his four-year-old son, Robert D. Sawyer. Addressed to Master Robert Sawyer at 68 Mill Street, Haverhill, Massachusetts, and dated 25 August 1944:

Dear Bobby, This card shows a picture of a part of the drill field where Daddy marches, drills, and has physical training when not inside the Drill Hall. On Saturdays we have Regimental review before the officers and color guard and band in [illegible] competition. This picture shows them practicing and is not an actual review. Be a good boy, Love, Dad – Daddy lives where the arrow is.

By 1950, the family resided at 30 Byron Street in Haverhill, where Ralph was employed as a registered pharmacist at a retail drug store. Robert was 9 years old, and his brother, Jeffery, was an infant.

A veteran of World War II, Ralph D. Sawyer Jr. also served in the Naval Reserve, and achieved the rank of Lieutenant Commander. Ralph passed away on 9 May 1996 and was interred at Evergreen Cemetery in Rutland, Vermont.

Robert D. Sawyer went on to have a distinguished military career, serving two tours of duty in Vietnam with the United States Army. He served as a First Lieutenant in the 283rd Medical Detachment Helicopter Ambulance unit stationed near Saigon. He flew 522 combat missions and airlifted over 1,200 patients from battle zones. Robert passed away in May of 1981 in Toledo, Lucas, Ohio.

• “U.S., Department of Veterans Affairs BIRLS Death File, 1850-2020,” database, Ancestry.com (https://www.ancestry.com : accessed 19 September 2025); SSN: 015015349, Ralph D. Sawyer (1918-1996); citing the Department of Veterans Affairs, Washington, D.C.
• “New Hampshire, U.S., Marriage Records, 1700-1971,” Marriages, 1938-1947, Ralph DeShon Sawyer Jr. and Esther Virginia Archibald, 5 December 1939; citing New Hampshire Bureau of Vital Records, Concord.
• 1950 U.S. census, Essex County, Massachusetts, population schedule, Haverhill, enumeration district (ED) 5-206, p. 4, dwelling 49, Ralph D. Sawyer Jr. household; database with images, Ancestry.com (https://www.ancestry.com : accessed 19 September 2025); citing NARA microfilm publication T628, roll 2862.
• “Obituaries [Ralph D. Sawyer Jr.], The Rutland Daily Herald (Rutland, Vermont), Friday, 10 May 1996, p. 16, col. 1, database with images, Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com : accessed 19 September 2025).
• “Distinguished War Veteran Sawyer Dies at Age of 41,” The Rutland Daily Herald (Rutland, Vermont), Thursday, 21 May 1981, p. 4, cols. 1-2, database with images, Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com : accessed 19 September 2025).