Robert Dee Ratley

Robert Dee Ratley, age 61, passed away November 20, 2016. A memorial service will be held 2 p.m. Sunday, December 4, 2016 at Grace Gospel Church in Axtell, Texas.

Dee was brain damaged at birth. As a child, he soon found himself physically and mentally trailing behind his 3 siblings in just about every area but two: an unquenchable childlike curiosity and an infectious active joy.

His curiosity was a constant stressor for his parents, Bob and Pat Ratley as Dee was determined to try to figure out how to do laundry, how to cook, to shave, use scissors, and to operate power tools, radios and record players. To the family's humor and dismay, Dee single handedly destroyed countless loads of laundry with bleach, broke countless radios and tapes players, consistently confiscated and hid all the round lids in the house to be his record collection, and regularly had cuts on his head and gaps in his hair where he tried to shave or cut his hair. This curiosity ebbed and flowed through time but continued to motivate him throughout his life and only began to decrease the last couple of years with his illness.

His joy was truly infectious, especially in church, when he would loudly sing and jump to the music during Praise and Worship. Dee could not enunciate the words to the songs, but would put his finger to his mouth for a microphone and strum his imaginary guitar with his other hand and make a very loud and joyful noise while jumping up and down like a pogo stick to the beat of the music. It was a sight that would ignite the song services with Joy and bring smiles and laughter to the whole congregation. His Joy of the Lord in Praise and Worship set people free.

Today he is doing all the things that he could never quite learn to do while here on Earth - without breaking or destroying anything. He is praising the Lord with the Angels and those who have gone before us to Heaven. He is singing loudly - all the words to the songs - with his real microphone - while jumping up and down like a pogo stick to the beat of the music.

His childlike enthusiasm was a gift from God to us and will always be treasured with great affection. It is our Hope and Prayer that his determined desire to learn, along with his infectious Joy of the Lord will continue to live on in those he touched.

We love you Dee and thank you for sharing your life with us.