Kenny Ray Ratzlaff

Kenny Ray Ratzlaff, 73, of Bangor, passed away Sunday, July 11, 2021 surrounded by his family.  He was born in September of 1947 to ElRoy Harvey and Erma Jean Ratzlaff in Cordell, Oklahoma.  A few days before Christmas in 1966 in Liberal, Kansas, he married the love of his life - his “dear” - Patty Koehn.  The two of them would spend the next 54 years side-by-side, partners in all things.  Kenny was the founder and president of Beacon Specialized Living Services, serving individuals with intellectual disabilities and mental health needs from 1998 until his passing.  He was active in numerous Michigan State boards and community advisory panels.  He was a member of The Gideons International, speaking to churches around Southwest Michigan for over a decade.  He served on the board of Evangelical Mission Ministries for over 25 years.  Most importantly, he was a rock to his wife, a loving father, and an adventurous grandfather. 

Kenny had deep compassion and care for all people, he tirelessly advocated for those with mental health needs.  He loved to travel - especially by train and found an affinity for collecting train memorabilia.  Everything in his life was driven by his love for Jesus and his desire to see others find that love in their own lives.    

Kenny is survived by his wife – Patty; children – Nathan and Kent (Jennavieve); mother – Erma; siblings - Bob and Jean and grandchildren – Katlyn, Broc, and Aden.

A celebration of life will be held Sunday, July 18th, 2021 from 1:00 P.M. to 4:00 P.M. at the Black River Barn in South Haven, Michigan.  A graveside service will be held at 10:00 AM on Saturday, July 24, 2021 at the Mennonite Brethren Cemetery on N2369 Road in Corn, Oklahoma. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Kalamazoo Gospel Ministries at https://www.kzoogospel.org or The Gideons International at https://gideons.org in Kenny’s honor.