Obituary: Dean Ratcliffe, 87, of Ludington.

Dean Ratcliffe

Obituary: Dean Ratcliffe, 87, of Ludington.

Dean Eldon Ratcliffe, 87, of Ludington, passed away at the home of his son, Gary, Tuesday, January 18, 2022. He was born March 12, 1934 in Southfield Township in Oakland County to Daniel and Nellie (Pitts) Ratcliffe. Dean graduated from Highland Park High School in 1952.  After high school, Dean moved to Alaska to work at the Maranatha Children’s Home in Fairbanks.  During his time there, he was drafted by the US Army and served in Korea.  After his service to his country ended, Dean returned to the missionary work in Alaska.

Dean married Ruth Puterbaugh on June 18, 1960 in Clawson. Dean and his bride made their home at the orphanage until it closed. They returned to Michigan in 1962 making their home in Clawson, and then Ortonville until moving to California in 1974.  They then moved back to Michigan, settling in Scottville in 1978 where they lived until Ruth passed away in 2018.  Since then, Dean has made his home with his son in Ludington.

Together Dean and Ruth raised four children. He served in the AWANA Clubs for many years at several churches.  Dean was a long time member of Cornerstone Baptist Church and loved to attend when his health allowed. He loved spending time with his family and enjoyed woodworking.

Dean will be greatly missed by his children Gary (Mary) Ratcliffe of Ludington, Dale (Lissa) Ratcliffe of Wyoming, MI, Nancy (Joel) Rahn of Byron Center, and Ron (Missy) Ratcliffe of Ludington; 11 grandchildren, five great-grandchildren, and his two sisters, Barrie (Bill) Lyons and Beverly (Tim) LaHaye.

Besides his parents, Dean was preceded in death by his sister, Frances (Jack) McKinney.

His funeral will be held Monday, January 24, 2022 at 11 a.m. at Cornerstone Baptist Church in Ludington. Family will greet friends starting at 10 a.m. at the church. Dean will be laid to rest at Brookside Cemetery in Scottville.

Memorial contributions in Dean’s name may be directed to the donor’s local AWANA Club.

Arrangements have been entrusted to Oak Grove Funeral Home of Ludington.
www.oakgroveludington.com.