Richard H Baratte

Richard was born on March 24, 1926 in Baltimore, Maryland to Horace Victor and Mary Elizabeth (Turney) Baratte. His family moved from Baltimore to Northwest Washington, D. C. several years later; from there, they moved to Silver Spring, Maryland where he remained throughout his adolescence and early adulthood. He attended Catholic schools – first St. Michael’s Elementary in Silver Spring then Gonzaga High School in Washington – before entering the Navy in 1943.

Following his discharge, he finished high school at a Veterans School in Washington, D. C. He then went to the University of Miami for one year before returning to Silver Spring and attending the University of Maryland. He left Maryland after one year and worked a number of jobs, often simultaneously, before beginning a long and rewarding career with the Chesapeake and Potomac Telephone Company in 1952.

In the meantime, he had married Jerry Lee Roberts of Bethesda, Md. (via Asheville, NC.) in 1950 and had a son, Guy Robert, in 1951. He worked for the phone company for thirty-four years variously as a lineman, installer and pbx switchboard repairman. Throughout his time at the phone company, he was known for his diligence, dependability and enthusiasm.

He brought these same virtues to his personal life – he was married to Jerry for 73 years before her death in 2023 and was a doting father to his son Guy. He was a fitness enthusiast throughout his life and an ardent proponent of weight-lifting for athletes in team sports. He was active in local baseball and softball leagues for over 50 years as a player, coach and manager. After a long and successful run by his signature senior softball team, Joe B’s, he was inducted into the Washington Metropolitan Slow-Pitch Softball Hall of Fame in 2002. More importantly, he made countless friends and acquaintances through softball; many of whom he remained in touch with until the end of life. He will be missed.

Richard is survived by his son Guy of Ormond Beach, Florida and is predeceased by his aforementioned wife, Jerry Lee, and an infant son, Richard Andrew who passed away in infancy in 1955. A service is planned for the spring of 2026 in Maryland at a date, time and location to be determined.