George Dewey Ratliff, Jr.

Dewey loved the song, "I Can Only Imagine." No longer will he imagine "...... what it will be like to walk by His side." Dewey transitioned to his eternal home, July 11, 2016 at about 10 p.m. surrounded by his family.

George Dewey Ratliff, Jr., having completed his list of earthly missions, was called home by his Lord God defeating pancreatic cancer July 11, 2016. A memorial service is planned for Saturday, July 16, 2016 at 4 p.m. on the grounds of the Bosque County Courthouse in Meridian, Texas.

Dewey Ratliff was born March 21, 1951 in Kentucky to George Dewey Ratliff, Sr. and mother, Alma Whitaker Ratliff. They moved to South Bend, Indiana, the next year.

He and his wife, Julie Pederson, came to Bosque County in 1995 moving to the family farm at Norse. He found he had arrived home.

A committed family man, Ratliff married Julie Pederson in Farmersville, Texas, April 8, 1989, and was blessed with three children: Ann, Caleb and Christian.

Ratliff was elected Bosque County Judge in 2014 and was the first Republican to hold the office.

His very diverse background in business and organizational management prepared him for the challenges facing local government leaders.

While serving as the Bosque Emergency Management Coordinator, Ratliff was responsible for the overall planning, preparation, training and execution of disaster response and recovery services in the county and the region. He worked closely with community leaders and fire departments as well as elected officials in all levels of government while serving as a member of many boards through the Heart of Texas Council of Governments (HOTCOG) and other Central Texas regional service activities.

Ratliff wore many hats in Bosque County serving the residents as the Homeland Security Director, Floodplain Administrator, Loss Control Coordinator, Radio and Network Communications System Administrator, Incident Management Team and 911 Addressing.

He was also personally responsible for bringing almost $4 million in federal grants to the county including production of project proposals, grant applications, project implementation and management and grant administration and reporting.

Ratliff was a Vietnam-Era Veteran, a Life Member of the Disabled American Veterans (DAV) and a Life Member of the National Rifle Association (NRA).

In addition to his undergraduate degree in aeronautics, Ratliff had an MBA from the University of Notre Dame and Mendoza College of Business, which provided the foundation for success in business as well as in life.

His business experience included many years in the high tech industry and eight years in management with Walmart Corporation. While with Walmart, Ratliff managed 125,000 sq. ft. retail stores with annual sales of $50 million, $2 million in inventory and $35,000 weekly payroll budgets.

He also successfully opened a new Walmart store in an undeveloped market. After recruiting 300 employees who had never even shopped in a Walmart store, he transformed them into fellow associates committed to the success of the team. Ratliff said that this experience improved his management skills as he built and motivated his team as well as honed his abilities to manage large projects to a successful completion.

Ratliff held a series of increasingly successful positions for several high-tech startup companies in the Dallas market including Mostek, an integrated circuit manufacturer founded by ex-employees of Texas Instruments, and InTeCom, a communications innovator.

In addition, he also worked as an Independent Retained Executive Search Consultant recruiting highly skilled and paid engineers and scientists from the East and West Coasts to the new "Texas Silicon Valley." Ratliff also provided professional marketing and financial consulting and general management services to a variety of businesses in the Central Texas area.

Ratliff was a man of strong faith and known for his quiet Christian character and strong beliefs. He attended Searsville Country Church and believed in the sanctity of life and the unity of the traditional family.

Ratliff is survived by his wife of 27 years, Julie Pederson, and his three cherished children, a daughter, Ann, and two sons, Caleb and Christian, all of Clifton, Texas. He is also survived by his brother, Menifee Ratliff and his wife, Sue of Athens, Texas; his sister, Theresa Ratliff of Georgetown, Texas; his brother-in-law David Pederson and his wife, Rebecca, of Cedar Lake, Indiana, along with many nieces and nephews.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to Combat Marine Outdoors, c/o American Bank, P.O. Box 2507, Waco, TX 76702-2507 or Camp John Marc, 2929 Carlisle St., Suite 355, Dallas, TX 75204.