Kathryn (Kathy) Ann Ratchford, 82, of Lake Mary, passed away on Friday, January 31st at home surrounded by her family. She was born April 7, 1937 to Max and Victoria Streeter and is survived by her loving husband, William (Bill) Ratchford.
Kathy loved her family in a deep and enduring way. Along with Bill, Kathy is survived by her three children, Scot (wife Donna), Kyle (husband Ralph), and Vicki (husband Frank), and seven grandchildren, Daniel, Kaitlyn, Jon, Erin (husband Dan), Nick, Casey, and Joshua.
In addition to her family, Kathy dedicated herself to work and was known and loved by many in the apartment industry. In over 35 years in property management, she built a reputation as someone with the rare ability to lead with both strength and compassion through her larger-than-life personality, infectious smile, and dedication to excellence. As a result, Kathy received countless industry awards, so many that there was a running joke in her family about where they would all have to travel next to see her honored.
Everyone who knew her also learned of her love for music. The Eagles, The Doobie Brothers, Jimmy Buffett, and many others were the soundtrack for her life, and she sang, danced, and strummed the guitar to their songs with such exuberance that she inevitably got everyone in the room singing right along with her. She truly was the life of the party, and she passed on her love for music to many.
Kathy also followed college basketball and her North Carolina Tar Heels with abandon. She kept up with teams, stats, players, and scores throughout her life and was always game to talk about sports, especially when Duke was losing.
Happiness and relaxation for Kathy were as simple as having her family near, her toes in the sand, and a drink in her hand. She was a wonderful wife, mother, and grandmother who lit up every room she walked into and will be missed by the many people whose lives she enriched.
In honor of the memory of Kathy, the family invites you to wear your favorite resort style/island wear attire.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Hospice of Central Florida or Tunnel to Towers Foundation in Kathy's name.
“If it suddenly ended tomorrow
I could somehow adjust to the fall
Good times and riches and son of a bitches
I've seen more than I can recall
It's these changes in latitudes, changes in attitudes
Nothing remains quite the same
Through all of the islands and through all of the hi-lands
If we couldn't laugh, we would all go insane”
- Jimmy Buffett
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