Ralph Ketner

Ralph W. Ketner (September 20, 1920 – May 29, 2016)^[1] was an American businessman and philanthropist. He was known for being the founder of Food Lion (founded as Food Town).^[2] He founded the grocery store chain in the 1950s. During his career, Ketner has given away 35% of his profit to charity.^[3]

Ketner was born in Rimertown, North Carolina.^[3] He grew up during the Great Depression. He studied at Tri-State College in Angola, Indiana. Ketner is married to Anne Blizzard. They have two children. In March 2016, Ketner was hospitalized and diagnosed with colon cancer.^[4] He died on May 29, 2016 in Salisbury, North Carolina from the disease at the age of 95.