Donald Ratzlaff
1930 - 2016
Obituary
Donald (Don) W. Ratzlaff, 85, died
Tuesday (June 28, 2016) at Kansas Christian Home surrounded by some
of his dearest friends. Don was born Nov. 25, 1930, at Grace Hospital
in Hutchinson to parents Aron and Susana (Friesen) Ratzlaff.
His great-grandparents were Mennonite
immigrants coming from Russia in 1874. They settled a farm in Kansas.
Don's parents moved their family to Missouri in 1938, to a little
farm west of El Dorado Springs, Missouri. The family moved again in
later years to a farm north of Nevada, Missouri.
Don attended a one-room schoolhouse
east of Nevada, near the little town of Dedrick, Missouri, and also
the Rinehart School of Nevada in Vernon County. Eventually, the
school district consolidated and he completed high school in Metz,
Missouri, in 1948.
Don enlisted in the Army in Nevada. He
served in the Army Medical Corps from 1952 to 1954 during the Korean
conflict and through that he took great interest in the nursing
field. After his service with the Army Medical Corps, he attended
California State Los Angeles, earning a Teaching Certificate. He then
graduated from College of the Desert in Palm Desert, California, in
1978 as a Registered Nurse. He worked as an R.N. in many states
including Montana, California, Missouri and Kansas.
He worked in the Neonatal Intensive
Care Unit as an R.N. in Billings, Montana; Northridge and Fresno,
California. He then worked in medical/surgical units until moving to
Springfield, Missouri, in May of 1988. Don worked in the substance
abuse unit at the Park Central Hospital and the psychiatric units at
Springfield Community Hospital until taking retirement in 1994.
He moved to Newton in 1996 to be near
several of his cousins. Don joined St. Matthew's Episcopal Church in
1997 and loved attending services, and volunteered with the Payee
Program at the church for 10 years.
Don is preceded in death by his
parents, Aron and Susana (Friesen) Ratzlaff; son, Michael Lynn
Ratzlaff; and siblings Lorena Fay, Melvin Ratzlaff and Wesley
Ratzlaff.
He is survived by numerous nieces and
nephews, including nephews Lloyd and wife Sharon Ratzlaff of
McPherson and Melvin Ratzlaff Jr. of Gloster, Mississippi; nieces
Debbie Ratzlaff Mulkey and Pam Stokes of Gloster, Mississippi, and
Mary Anne Johnson of Centre, Alabama; dear friends Terry Zeidler of
Redlands, California; Charlie Robinson and Rich Stinnett of Newton;
and a loving church family.
Visitation will be held at St.
Matthew's Episcopal Church of Newton on Thursday (June 30, 2016) from
6 to 8 p.m. Graveside Services will be held Friday (July 1, 2016) at
12:30 p.m. in Buhler Cemetery East, Buhler, followed by a Memorial
Service at St. Matthew's Episcopal Church at 2 p.m. Friends are
invited to join in a time of sharing and fellowship meal after the
Memorial Service at the church.
Memorials may be made to St. Matthew's
Episcopal Church O.E.F (Operating Endowment Fund). Condolences may be
left at www.petersenfamilyfuneralhome.com.
