Rayford Ratcliff
Rayford Ratcliff
(November 28, 1917 – June 15, 2011)
Rayford Ratcliff, 93 of New Sharon passed away Wednesday, June 15, 2011 at the Serenity Hospice House in Oskaloosa. Funeral services will begin at 1:00 pm Friday, June 17, 2011 at the New Sharon United Methodist Church with Reverend John Battern and Reverend Tom Palmer officiating. Visitation will begin after 3:00 pm Thursday, June 16, 2011 at the Harden Funeral Home with the family present from 5:00 to 7:00 Thursday evening at the funeral home. Interment will be held in the Union Mills Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to Safe Water International Ministries or Friends of Neil Smith National Wildlife Refuge. Harden Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Rayford Roscoe Ratcliff, son of Harold and Charlotte (Groves) Ratcliff was born on November 28, 1917 in rural New Sharon. He was a 1937 graduate of Lynnville High School. After high school, Rayford helped on the family farm until he was drafted in the United States Army on October 20, 1942. Rayford was honorably discharged on December 27, 1944. On October 12, 1946, Rayford was united in marriage to Eleanora Jones at the Richland Friends Church. To this union four children were born, Martha, Harlan, Earl and Carl. Rayford was a great carpenter. He opened the Cozy Inn Manufacturing in Lynnville in the late 1950’s, moving the business to New Sharon in 1964. His passion was making church pews and church furniture. Rayford was a member of the Friends Church and later attended the New Sharon United Methodist Church.
His memory is honored by his four children, Martha Kroese of Cedar Falls, Harlan (Pat) Ratcliff of Dallas Center, Earl (Margaret) Ratcliff of New Sharon and Carl (Janet) Ratcliff of Valley, Nebraska; his seven grandchildren, Darina Ratcliff, Max Ratcliff, Eric Ratcliff, Tom (Abigail) Hillers, Mindy (Matt) Icenbice, Molly Ratcliff and John Ratcliff; three great grandchildren, Jason Icenbice, Dutch Hillers and Madilyn Icenbice; a brother, Melvin Ratcliff of Lynnville and three sisters, Velma Sparks of Grinnell, Alice Sparks of Lynnville and Vera Beason of Grinnell.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Harold and Charlotte Ratcliff; his wife, Eleanora Ratcliff on November 23, 2009; two sisters, Doris Ann Fenner and Neva Klyn and a son-in-law, Terry Kroese.
Source: Harden Funeral Homes
