Charles F. Ratliff

Charles F. Ratliff, our beloved husband, dad, grandpa, brother, engineer, gardener, and man of wheels, passed away at home at the age of 70. A paraplegic for more than 41 years from a fluke accident at the age of 29, Charlie always found a way to live a remarkable life of love, ingenuity and accomplishment that outsized even his most devastating heartbreaks.

Born in West Virginia, Charlie’s childhood was filled with family memories of fishing, hunting with his grandfather, visiting the family farm in Kentucky, and spending summer vacations in Myrtle Beach. In his youth, Charlie played football and basketball, excelled in speech and debate, and loved bright colors, fashionable clothes and cool cars - all things he loved the rest of his life.

Every summer of his life, Charlie’s family gathered from across the country to spend time together. Put him with his siblings crowded together on the back porch telling stories, and he would inevitably laugh to the point of tears. When together, no matter where they were, they were home.

A civil engineer by trade, Charlie graduated from North Carolina State University in 1974 and started his long career in the oil industry with Shell in New Orleans designing platforms in the Gulf of Mexico before moving to Houston in 1976.

Houston is where Charlie met his wife, Dawn, who remained his faithful friend, loyal partner, greatest advocate, and the protector of his heart until his very last breath. Charlie was paralyzed after falling from a tree on Labor Day weekend in 1981, their first year into marriage and with a baby on the way, their son Travis. Nevertheless, they made it through and welcomed their daughter Ashley a few years later. Charlie often told his children that they gave him a second life. He loved them fully, kindly, and unconditionally. He was the best Dad to be loved by, and it is hard to imagine a life without his wisdom, thoughtful teachings, surprise gifts, and joyful laughs.

In 1988, Charlie accepted a transfer to Bakersfield, where he built a loving home with his family for the rest of his life. Despite his accident, Charlie continued to work full time for 42 years until his retirement from Aera Energy in 2016. He lived a long and successful life, which is both exceptional and an understatement.

He loved his dogs, his yard, and his family the most. He also loved special dinners on Saturdays, chocolate chip ice cream, snickerdoodle cookies, homegrown tomatoes, bright flowers, and any sports game on TV. If you knew him, you recognized how special he was and how special he made you feel. He leaves a legacy best honored by paying it forward in love and in work to create a life worth living.

If he could have engineered a new body so that he never had to say goodbye to those he loved, Charlie would have designed it, folded new people into his life to build it, tested it against better judgment, wondered aloud if it was crazy, and then used it no matter how hard for as long as possible to the marvel of everyone around. We hope he walks in the door of Heaven, feels the sun on his face, wriggles his toes in the ocean, and smiles down at us.

Charlie is survived by his wife, Dawn Ratliff; son Travis; daughter Ashley Zambrano [Mario], and grandson Jay, who especially loved his Grandpa Charlie’s cars and fishes; his siblings Ray [Mary], Jennie [Bob], and John [Debra]; his vibrant and thoughtful nieces and nephews and their spouses and children; extended family all over the country; and his countless friends, helpers, providers and believers who became his cherished chosen family over the years.

There will be a celebration of Charlie’s life in his beloved garden at the Ratliff Home on June 10, 2023. Please contact family for details – all those who knew and loved him are welcome.