Obit: Ratsch, Bruce William (1945 - 1965)

Contact: Dolores (Mohr) Kenyon

Email: dolores@wiclarkcountyhistory.org

Surnames: Ratsch, Armitage, Stefan, Bauer, Rieke, Bardell, Ampe, Schultz, Montgomery, Garbisch, Bird, Seebandt, Boon, Dean, Benecke

----Source: Clark County Press (Neillsville, Clark Co., WI.) November 4, 1965

Ratsch, Bruce William (24 August 1945 - 27 October 1965)

Bruce William Ratsch, 20, of Rt. 1 Greenwood, died October 27, in St. Joseph’s Hospital in Marshfield.  Funeral services were held Saturday afternoon from St. John’s Lutheran Church in Christie. The Rev. F. C. Benecke of Granton officiated.  Burial was made in the Neillsville City Cemetery.  He was a member of the Christie church.

Mr. Ratsch was born August 24, 1945, in Neillsville.  He was the son of Clarence and Dorothy Ratsch.  He attended rural schools and was a 1963 graduate of Loyal High School.  He had attended vocational school in Eau Claire and last summer had been employed as an auto mechanic in Greenwood.

He is survived by his parents; a sister, Miss Charlotte Ratsch of Wayside; a brother, Stanley, at home; and his paternal grandfather, Herman Ratsch of Neillsville.

The Georgas Funeral Home in Neillsville made the funeral arrangements.

The Misses Gayle Montgomery and Janet Garbisch sang "I’m But A Stranger Here," accompanied by Mrs. Leland Garbisch.

Pallbearers were: Robert Bird, Herman Seebandt, Marlen and Ronnie Ratsch, Donald Boon and Ronald Dean.

People from out of town attending the service were: Mr. and Mrs. Carl A. Stefan of Trevor; Rev. and Mrs. H. F. Bauer of St. Paul, Minn.; Miss Charlotte Ratsch of Wayside; Mrs. Darwin Rieke and Miss Mary Beth Rieke of Tomah; Mrs. Sadie Bardell of Spencer; Mr. and Mrs. Ray Ampe of Marshfield and Mr. and Mrs. Victor Schultz of Eau Claire.