Richard Lee Ratliff

Richard Lee Ratliff, 75, beloved husband, father, son, brother and poet, passed away peacefully at home with his family, and left this world for a better place, on July 16, 2020. He was born in Indianapolis on May 20, 1945, to Donald and Barbara A.(Miller) Ratliff.

Rick attended Purdue University where he wrestled, earned his bachelor’s degree in English and is a Sigma Alpha Epsilon brother. He went on to lead his family’s HVAC business, Don-Lee, Inc., with his brother, David, and he continued to work as a mechanical engineer until retirement. He also served as President for the National Association of Power Engineers (Chapter 4) in Indianapolis.

In retirement, Rick re-discovered his love of poetry and began working on several books. Rick has published three poetry books, and there are future plans to publish additional poetry which he completed.

Rick was a fun-loving family man and a proud parent. He loved telling jokes, Purdue football, grilling out, being with his family and friends and to read and write. He was well loved and will be missed dearly.

He is survived by his wife of 45 years, Barbara J. (Burgoon) Ratliff; daughter, Jennifer (Doug) Haslett; son, Jason (Shannon) Ratliff; and brother, David (Linda) Ratliff.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the COPD Foundation at www.COPDfoundation.org