Waldon "Wally" Charles Ratkie

Pastor Wally Ratkie of Milton-Freewater, OR was called home to be with his God and Savior on December 2, 2022.

Wally was born in Everett, Washington on December 16, 1934, the youngest of six children, to Charles and Minnie Ratkie. He grew up in Vernonia, Oregon, working the family farm while his father worked at the sawmill. At the tender age of five, a lifelong love of piano began. Wally attended Northwest Bible college at 17 years of age. While at college, his love of music grew into a full blown passion and career. He began teaching piano lessons to help pay his way through school. He graduated in the spring of 1956 with a BA in Bible and Sacred Music and moved to Portland where he started teaching piano as an official business. He also was a professional choir director to several different large churches in Portland. He completed his BA at Lewis and Clark College with a double major in Education and Music in 1965. Wally loved to talk about how he dabbled in many occupations such as a welding inspector of the Lloyd Center Towers, a filbert inspector, as well as switchboard operator for the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad.

He met the love of his life, Charleen Hamar, in 1982. They met at a joint concert where Wally was performing in a gospel band called Band for Jesus and Charleen was vocalist in the Hamar Family Singers. Wally proposed several times, finally getting her acceptance on December 31st,1982 at Rocky Butte in Portland. They were married on June 4, 1983 and welcomed their first child, Chantal, on June 5, 1986. They completed their family with the birth of their son, Charles, on January 24, 1989. They lived and taught music in various cities in the Northwest as well as one year in South Dakota and eventually settled in Milton-Freewater, OR.

Wally answered God’s calling on his life by completing seminary in 1990 and accepting his first pastorate in Amanda Park, WA. In 2000, he took a pastorate in Weston, OR and the family moved to Milton-Freewater. He continued to teach piano and pastor until he retired in 2015.

Wally treasured his time with his children and grandchildren, regaling them with his famous storytelling. He was always laughing and teasing those around him with his dry wit. His love of music continued throughout his life and he passed down that love to his family. Wally also enjoyed gardening. You could always find him either in the flowerbed weeding, or riding his John Deere lawn mower. If he wasn’t outside he was inside reading for sermon material. Wally had amazing faith and a passion for people to know and love Jesus the way that he did. His impact was immense!

Wally was preceded in death by his parents and five sisters, Phyllis, Millicent, Dorothy, Betty and Bonnie. He leaves behind his wife, Charleen, his daughter Chantal (Jotham), his son Charles (Victoria), and his grandchildren Lillie, Selah, Cohen, Jairus (Chantal); Jude, Jonah and Joel (Charles).

Wally’s Celebration of Life will be held at 1:00pm, December 9, 2022 at Pendleton Church of God. Graveside is at Olney Cemetery to follow. In lieu of flowers, donations to help with funeral expenses can be made to Pendleton Church of God on behalf of Charleen Ratkie.