Alphonse (Al) C. Ratte passed away on June 28, 2021 at home in Londonderry, surrounded by his loving family. Beloved father, grandfather, and great-grandfather.

Born in Brattleboro, Vermont on November 22, 1934, he was the son of the late Alphonse and Elizabeth Ratte. Al grew up in Brattleboro and was a long-time resident of Hudson, Gilford, and then in 2018 he moved to Londonderry. He attended Wentworth Institute in Boston and the University of Vermont in Burlington, Vermont, graduating with a BS Electrical Engineering and an ROTC Commission in the US Army. He served 26 months on active duty in the US Army Security Agency Training Center and School at Fort Devens.

Al started his primary career, employed by General Electric, in Syracuse New York and then Sanders Associates in Nashua. In retirement he was employed part time by Hannaford Brothers Supermarket in Gilford.

Al had a love for all things in nature. He enjoyed bird watching, hiking, fishing, kayaking, golfing, skiing down Tuckerman, games of croquet, and the beloved Ratte family camping trips every summer. Quick-witted and incredibly wise, Al always had a riddle to recite or joke to tell. He even had his grandchildren convinced that candy could grow on trees (a favorite pastime of theirs to harvest a treat when visiting him in Gilford).

He was faithful to his morning routine of coffee and a muffin, and in the afternoons he loved to watch the Boston Red Sox and New England Patriots as well as enjoy his favorite treats: mint chocolate chip ice cream, cookies, and Beefeater martinis, with two olives.

Al also grew to love his “second family” of wonderful home health aides and VNA nurses. He won the hearts of all who knew him because of his warm presence, welcoming smile, and kind words.

Besides his loving parents, Al was predeceased by his wife Anita (Wilson) Ratte of Gilford; his brothers Richard Ratte of Brattleboro, Charles Ratte of Saxtons River, Vermont, Edward Ratte of Mineola, New York, sister Dorothy (Ratte) Lyman of Alstead, and his step-son John Wilson of Mount Pleasant, South Carolina. 

He is survived by his sister Joann (Ratte) DelColliano of Asheville, North Carolina, his children Renee Ratte and her husband Tom Frantz of Andover, son Scott Ratte and his wife Darleen (Aubrey) Ratte of Derry, daughter Denise (Ratte) Garcia and husband David of Dover, son Craig Ratte and his wife Karyn (Niemela) of Nashua, step-daughter Debbie (Wilson) Miller and her husband Bill of Dubuque, Iowa, step-son Jeff Wilson of Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, and his former wife, Vilma Ratte of Newburyport, Massachusetts. Grandchildren: Ryan Ratte, Matthew Ratte and his wife Elizabeth, Andrew Janowicz and his wife Kristina, Hannah (Frantz) Goumas and her husband Kevin, Caleb Frantz, Morgan Ratte, Marisa Ratte, Oscar Garcia, Carlos Garcia, Gabriel Miller, Natalie Miller; and two great-granddaughters, Penelope Ratte and Poppy Ratte.

Following cremation, calling hours were held on July 7 at the Peabody Funeral Homes and Crematorium in Londonderry. The burial will be held privately in the New Hampshire State Veterans Cemetery in Boscawen. To send a condolence, or for more information, please visit PeabodyFuneralHome.com.

In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to support one of his passions, the New Hampshire Audubon Society, or Londonderry Trailways.