Jerry Joe Ratliff was born on March 24, 1930 in Lawrence County, Arkansas to James Howard Ratliff and Willye Elsie Robins (Billye). He spent his youth in Arkansas and graduated from DeWitt High School in DeWitt, Arkansas. While he was in high school, he held jobs at The Coker-Hampton Drug Store, the Coca-Cola Bottling Plant, and as a newspaper carrier. All these experiences contributed to a very strong work ethic. Joe attended Arkansas State University before joining the Air Force in 1951. He was stationed in Colorado, Alabama and finally Texas. After being discharged from the Air Force, he spent time in Memphis, Tennessee before moving back to Texas in 1977. Joe always said that he wasn't born in Texas but he got here as fast as he could.

Joe retired from the custom wheel business in 1998. In his spare time, he loved keeping busy with classic cars, discussing the weather (his favorite topic) and generally being active. He regularly had breakfast with his friends at The Lonesome Spur in Justin, Texas. Joe was a wonderful person and will be dearly missed by all.

Visitation will be Saturday, December 6, 2014 from 10:00 – 11:00 A.M. prior to the service at 11:00 A.M. in the chapel of DeBerry Funeral Directors.

He is survived by a daughter, Donna Ratliff Frisbee (Joe) of Justin, TX, a grand-daughter, Emily Jane Frisbee, a sister, Jeanne Ratliff Dobbs of Georgia, as well as a host of friends and family. A special thanks to the Justin Fire Department for their excellent help over the years.