Jeffrey Edward Ratliff died peacefully in his sleep on Friday February 24, 2023 in Wichita Falls. Jeff was born on June 16, 1953 in Dayton, Ohio to Paul Ratliff and Jean Lou Ratliff. When he was 10, he and his family, including younger sister Cindy, moved to Tucson, Arizona, where his father became a ranch foreman. Jeff remembers riding horses across the Lickety Split Plains and having to look for scorpions in his shoes every morning. He graduated from Flowing Wells High School in Tucson, learned construction and trades from his father and uncle, and showed an interest in music from an early age. He learned to play the guitar, mandolin and piano from his uncle, but his favorite was the guitar. He never learned to read music, but played by ear. After military service in Vietnam, he worked construction jobs in Las Vegas and Arizona, toured the Southwest with various bands and then to the Austin area. He eventually settled in Wichita Falls, where he worked in construction and remodeling and played music at various local venues. In 2002, he met his future wife, Genie, while playing in an American Legion band, Post 202 in Wichita Falls. They married on July 15, 2003 in Austin, Texas. He became stepfather to their children Will, Kathryn, Pat and George St. Clair. The two youngest, Pat and George, shared Jeff’s love of music, classic rock and roll, country and western and crossover. George became a musician and lived in Austin with Genie and Jeff while playing with the Latin band Soniquete at various Austin venues. For a time, Jeff worked in Austin and Wichita Falls, and Jeff and Genie commuted between the two until they finally decided to make Wichita Falls their permanent home. Jeff and Genie made numerous trips to London to hear George play and loved the music scene there. Jeff and Genevieve loved to travel and have taken trips to Hawaii, the American Southwest, England and Spain, trips to visit children in London, Bologna, Italy and Lyon, France and many trips to California. They did two tours of the UK with Scholarly Sojourns and vacationed in Baja California. Jeff was a member of American Legion Post 202 in Wichita Falls for over twenty-five years. He and his band played for numerous charity events such as Toys for Tots and fundraisers for various causes. Jeff was a skilled handyman and, in addition to the building trades, was skilled not only in building and design, but also in electrical systems, plumbing and home insurance. Jeff never met a stranger and was happy to talk to anyone about just about anything. He was known for his love of storytelling and sense of humor. Jeff was preceded in death by his parents Paul and Jean Lou Ratliff; and sister Cindy. Survivors include his wife Genie; stepchildren, Will St. Clair, an advertising producer in Chicago, Illinois, and his wife Amanda; Kathryn St. Clair, painter in Petaluma, California, and husband Beau Bouverat; Patrick St. Clair, a painter in San Francisco and wife Maite; and George St. Clair in Bologna, Italy, a tennis coach and teacher of English as a Second Language, and wife Alice; and six grandchildren. The family would like to thank the nursing team and hospice at Wichita Falls and the staff at Brookdale at Sikes Lake for the excellent care given to Jeff. Services for Jeff will be held on Saturday, March 11, 2023 at 11:00 a.m. at First Christian Church, 3701 Taft Boulevard with Pastor Mark Bender. Burial will be in Rosemont Cemetery under the direction of the Owens & Brumley Funeral Home in Wichita Falls. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations to the Wichita Falls Alzheimer’s Association, 901 Indiana Ave # 350, Wichita Falls, TX 76301. Condolences can be sent to the family at www.owensandbrumley.com
Posted March 07, 2023
Published in Times Record
