Ralph Randolph Reins was born in Wilkesboro (Wilkes County), North Carolina, on March 29, 1894. Reins was a World War I veteran who, following the war, served as an officer in the engineering corps of the North Carolina National Guard. His unit was mobilized during World War II and Reins, then a lieutenant colonel, served in Alaska and the Aleutian Islands. Apart from his military career, Reins worked his family’s business, Reins Brothers Monument Works, a marble and tombstone dealership in North Wilkesboro (Wilkes County). He died in North Wilkesboro on October 28, 1962.