William (Bill) Luther Ratliff

William (Bill) Luther Ratliff, 66, of Cedar Creek, Texas passed away at home December 13,2022. Born August 30, 1956 in Inglewood California (but we don’t talk about that) middle child to Johnnie and Noreen Ratliff.

Bill was many things to many people in his life. Son, brother Bill to his sisters, Uncle Bill to his nieces, nephews, and all their friends. He was honey to his wife, unless he was being difficult, which was often, then it was ‘William!.’ She was the only one I’ve ever heard use his whole name and his friends would no doubt give him a much more colorful characterization. He was wompin’ stompin’ Grumpy Grampy to his grandchildren. To us kids, he was just Dad.

He was a master craftsman by trade and was proudly part of the Capital of Texas building renovations in the early 1990’s but found an unexpected calling working the past 15 years as maintenance, grounds, and all-around mister fix it at the Texas School for the Deaf. Learning Sign Language and serving the students and teachers brought him great happiness.

His love was quiet, but it was steady and ran deep. If you knew him well, you knew that heckling was his love language. His wit was razor sharp and his humor dripping in sarcasm. He read the dictionary recreationally and could use those five-dollar words to very eloquently tell you exactly what was on his mind as easily as he could the four-letter ones. In his prime, he was a rebel and a bit of an outlaw, but he was always fiercely protective of his family. To his nephews and the gaggle of ornery teenage boys that always looked up to him, he handed out life lessons by way of an ass kicking. So, if you were one of the lucky ones on the receiving end of one, I hope it stuck, because it is going to have to last you. To his nieces and us kids, his lessons were gentler, but no less tough. He taught us all our way around a tool belt and to have the kind of independence I know he was proud to have given us. He will be missed terribly, but would want everyone to “Quit your crying, you big ole babies.”

He is survived by wife, Lisa Caler Ratliff, children Lacy (Michael) Queen, Johnnie (Alyssa) Ratliff, and Carol (Paul) Gollan. Grandchildren Ada, Lucian, Rylee, Isabelle, Henry, and Jack; Sisters Elaine (Bill) Owens, Ruth Ratliff, and Patty Ratliff; as well as nieces/nephews Jerimy Smith, Janna Padilla, William Jerritt, Amanda Clayton, Shayla Smith, Kasey Owens and Jacob Owens along with several great nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by parents Johnnie and Noreen Ratliff, brother Eddie Ratliff, and nephew Roy Watters.

A memorial will be announced at a later date.