Ralph F. DeLetto, of Glenview, passed away peacefully surrounded by family, on September 29th, 2025, the Feast Day of the Archangels. Ralph was a devoted and loving husband to Nancy (nee Menis). He was the proud father of Michael (Molly) and Christopher (Danae) DeLetto and adored PaPa to Rafaella, Ariana and Nikolas DeLetto. Ralph is preceded in death by his parents Ralph J. & Eleanor (nee Panelli) DeLetto. He is fondly remembered by his brother Frank (Maureen) DeLetto; his nieces and nephews, Erin (Dave) DeLetto Miranda, Ryann (Jamie) Urcioli, Elisa (Matt) Levy, Mark (Nicole) Menis; and, his great niece and nephew, Sofia DeLetto and Parker Miranda. He was a dear cousin and friend of many.
Ralph grew up in Franklin Park, Illinois. His parents set Ralph up for success in life by rooting him in his Catholic faith. He attended St. Gertrude’s School, Holy Cross High School and Dominican University. While at Dominican, Ralph met Nancy, the love of his life. They married at 24, started their family with Michael at 28, completed their family with Christopher at 31, built their dream home at 33 and tackled every turn of life hand in hand. Their fairy tale love story began 47 years ago and will be written into eternity. Despite Ralph’s demanding professional career, he was always present for his family and never missed an important life event or his sons’ games. Ralph counted his daughters-in-law, Danae and Molly, as his own and loved them as if they were. When he became a grandfather to Rafaella and Ariana, his love knew no boundaries. God sent Ralph one final gift, his grandson Nikolas, and his heart was complete. Ralph’s family was the center of his universe and a source of both great pride and strength. Together with his family, he knew all things were possible.
Ralph started his career as a Certified Public Accountant at Arthur Young where his talents and astute attention to detail were quickly recognized. Ralph found himself in an exclusive group tasked with advising the firm’s clients on mergers and acquisitions. He loved new and exciting challenges; never settled for mediocracy; and had an uncanny ability to find a way forward regardless of the challenge at hand. Ralph became a CFO at 31 and ultimately found his professional calling in 2002 at MIDLAND. Over the last 22 years, Ralph and his two partners, Mike Graves and Jim O’Toole, have grown MIDLAND into one of the largest privately held companies in Illinois. Ralph loved MIDLAND and, most importantly, its 900+ team members, who he referred to as the “best team in the business”. Ralph was most proud knowing that his sons are going to carry forward his legacy and help MIDLAND reach new heights.
Ralph was a force of nature that did not rest until he succeeded. He was loyal, committed and beyond moral reproach. He was a pillar of strength for many. He taught us to always look at the cup half full. He believed in living life to the fullest for tomorrow is not promised and each day is a blessing. We were blessed to have Ralph in our lives for the time that we did because he changed the trajectory of the lives of those that knew him for the better. Ralph will continue to live within our hearts and souls forever.
Ralph believed deeply in the work of Northwestern’s Associate Board that screens and invests in next generation cancer research. In lieu of flowers, gifts may be made in memory of Ralph DeLetto to support the Associate Board of Lurie Cancer Center, c/o Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, 420 E. Superior Street, Rubloff Building, 9th Floor, Chicago, IL 60611, or click here to make an online donation: https://giving.nu/lccassociateboardfy25
American Trucking Associations’ advanced seasonally adjusted (SA) For-Hire Truck Tonnage Index rose 0.7% in January after increasing 1% in December. In January, the index equaled 117.1 (2015=100) compared with 116.2 in December. ATA recently revised the seasonally adjusted index back five years as part of its annual revision. “Tonnage has increased nicely in the last couple of months,” said ATA Chief Economist Bob Costello. “I suspect that some of the gain is attributable to capacity coming out of the network, especially those carriers that primarily operate in the spot market and/or bought expensive used equipment in the last couple of years. This would push more freight to contract carriers, which dominate this index. "It could also be that freight bottomed and is coming up a little too. So, the gain is likely a little higher demand and a little less supply. Despite the increases in December and January, tonnage is still off 1.4% from its recent high in September," Costello said.
Global benchmark Brent crude topped $60 a barrel last month for the first time since July 2015, while West Texas Intermediate, the U.S. marker, is set for the highest close in two years as Saudi Arabia and Russia signaled support for extending supply cuts well into 2018. The market was also buoyed by conflict between the Iraqi central government and Kurdish forces that threatened crude production from northern fields in the OPEC nation. “U.S. stock draws have been leading and continue to lead the market higher,” said Olivier Jakob, managing director at Petromatrix GmbH in Zug, Switzerland. Click Read More below for additional information.
U.S. President Joe Biden does not intend to invoke a federal law to prevent a port strike on the East Coast and Gulf of Mexico if dockworkers fail to secure a new labor contract by an Oct. 1 deadline, an administration official said on Tuesday. The International Longshoremen's Association, negotiating on behalf of workers at three dozen U.S. ports from Maine to Texas that handle about half of the nation's ocean imports, warned again on Tuesday that its members are prepared to stop work in two weeks. Their current six-year agreement with the United States Maritime Alliance (USMX), which includes employers like Maersk's (MAERSKb.CO), opens new tab APM Terminals and SSA Marine, expires on Sept. 30. U.S. presidents can intervene in labor disputes that threaten national security or safety by imposing an 80-day cooling-off period under the federal Taft-Hartley Act, forcing workers back on the job while negotiations continue.
