Burbridge Earl Ratliff Jr., loving husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather, passed away peacefully at his home in Apopka, FL, on April 19, 2023, at the age of 90
He was a devoted family man and well-liked person who was kind, intelligent, and loved to tell a good story. He traveled extensively across many parts of the world and used those experiences to enrich the lives of his children. He was a devoted son to his parents and shared many vacations with his mother, sisters, and their families after his father passed away. He loved Jaguar automobiles, was interested in architecture, and enjoyed eating grapes, Bluebell ice cream, and peanuts-thankfully never at the same sitting.
He was born in Sanford, Florida, to Burbridge Earl Sr. and Genevieve Ratliff. He grew up in Sanford, and after a stint in the U.S. Army during the Korean War, he studied Electrical Engineering at the University of Florida on the GI Bill. His first job after college was with Radiation Inc., Melbourne, Florida. He was then employed by North American Aviation as a Flight Test Engineer launching and monitoring flights at Cape Canaveral and missile tracking stations in the islands of the Caribbean. This was followed by 10 years with The Martin Company in Florida as a design engineer on the Pershing Missile program. Following this, he worked at Astronautics Corporation of America in Milwaukee, Wisconsin until his retirement, designing avionics and airborne computer systems for military aircraft, and he even made some contributions to the Space Shuttle program.
After a period of adjusting to retirement, Earl dug into his primary interest, the study and research of his family history. He completed a book on the history of the Ratliff family from the Dark Ages to the present, which he published privately for his family members.
He is survived by his wife Josephine, his children David, Kyle, Erica, Stephanie, lan, and Graham, and his sister Janette. In addition, Earl has grandchildren and great-grandchildren. He is preceded in death by his parents, his sister Rosalind, and his daughter Monique.
A celebration of life will be announced at a later date. The family asks that mourners make donations to whatever charities they choose as their favorites in lieu of flowers or other gifts to the family.