At 8:00 a.m. on July 8, 1887 in Santa Maria Capua Vetere, Caserta, Italy, a baby boy was found by Maria Michela Cigliano at the town foundling wheel at Via Pretura 32. The infant was wearing a baby bonnet, a lambskin shirt, a cloth diaper and half of a white cotton sash and was thought to be about one day old. Cigliano took the baby to town secretary Pasquale Davide on July 9, who gave the boy the name Raffaele Penale and placed him in the care of the orphanage.

Sometime later, Raffaele was adopted by Antonio and Maria Teresa (Iodice) Gravante of a neighboring town, Portico di Caserta. The Gravante's, coincidentally, had lost a stillborn baby boy on July 9, 1887, who was also named Raffaele. Antonio and Teresa would go on to have several biological children including Filomena, Francesco, Giovanni and Alessandro Gravante, Luke Gravanti, and Maria Antonia Vitale.

Raffaele served for two years as a private in the Italian military. On April 4, 1906, he arrived in New York City, after sailing on the SS Madonna, living in America for about two years. He eventually returned to Italy in 1908, only to come back to the United States permanently in 1910. He sailed on the SS Europa, and arrived in New York on December 4th. He moved into 903 Grove Avenue, in Niagara Falls, New York.

A few years later, at the age of 25, he married Francesca Gallo, who was the daughter of his adopted mother's first cousin, Lorenzo Gallo. They filed for a marriage license on May 8, 1913, and were officially married on May 15 in Niagara Falls. Their neighbors, Pellegrino and Anna Sabella, served as the witnesses. They eventually moved to 1163 Fairfield Avenue. In 1915, Ralph began working for the New York Central Railroad, working until his retirement 38 years later.

Ralph and Francesca had 11 children, until Francesca's death in 1931; Anthony Penale, Laurence Penale, Frank Penale, Erick Penale, Dominic Penale, Mary Penale, Theresa DiCecco, Josephine Laurenzi, Regetta Bane, Jenne Whitmire, and Frances Havens. Ralph was survived by nine children, 16 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren at the time of his death in 1968.