Ralph Steven Christy, Sr.

Ralph Steven "Steve" Christy, Sr., devoted husband, father, and friend, passed away at Atrium Health Cabarrus on Wednesday, July 22, 2026, less than a month shy of his 92nd birthday. He was born on August 17, 1934, in Kannapolis, North Carolina, to the late Roxie Lee Arthurs Christy and Walter Elmore Christy, the seventh of eleven children.

Steve graduated from Odell High School in 1952 and married his high school sweetheart, Rachel Smith, on May 2, 1954. After high school he worked as a carpenter and then as a fixer at Hugh Gray Hosiery Mill. During those years he started a lawn maintenance business on the side and worked on the restoration of Memorial Garden, the First Presbyterian Church landmark on Spring Street in downtown Concord. He learned that he could use trimmings from the shrubs he maintained for his customers to start new plants, and from that simple idea Christy's Nursery was born in 1964. He began with two acres behind the family home on Poplar Tent Road.

Alongside Rachel, Steve built the business into a Concord landmark on Highway 29 South, frequented by generations of loyal customers. Even into his later years, Steve kept up long days tending to many matters at the nursery himself, and he was known throughout the region for knowing what would grow and thrive in Cabarrus County soil.

Steve was a longtime devoted member of Gilwood Presbyterian Church, where he served in leadership roles and was generous with his time and his resources. In his earlier years he and Rachel were members of Bayless Memorial Presbyterian Church.

In addition to his parents, Steve was preceded in death by his wife of sixty-two years, Rachel, in 2016; his son-in-law, David Thomas Allen, in 2014; his grandson, Shaun Jeffrey Christy, in 2018; his great-grandson, Samuel Quinn "Sam" Christy, in 2022; and nine of his ten siblings.

Left to cherish his memory are his son, Ralph Steven "Chris" Christy, Jr., MD, and his wife, Kay; his daughter, Mari Ann Christy Allen; grandchildren Christina Hester (James), Bryan Christy, Lee Katherine Christy (Peter Olah), Thomas Christy (Liza), Rachel Allen, Blake Allen (Ida Jane), and William Allen (Abigail); eleven great-grandchildren; his sister, Ann Long, and her husband, Bill; and a host of friends and customers from his many years of living and working in Cabarrus County.

A service of worship and celebration of Steve's life will be held on Wednesday, July 29th, at 3:00 PM at Gilwood Presbyterian Church, 2993 Odell School Road, Concord, NC. The family will receive friends prior to the service in the church fellowship hall beginning at 1:00 PM. Interment will follow in the Gilwood Presbyterian Church Cemetery.

Memorials may be directed to the Gilwood Presbyterian Church Permanent Scholarship Fund, 2993 Odell School Road, Concord, NC 28027-7460, or to Memorial Garden, c/o First Presbyterian Church, PO Box 789, Concord, NC 28026. Wilkinson Funeral Home is assisting the Christy family. Online condolences may be made at wilkinsonfuneralhome.com.