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Joe Bratcher Obituary

Joe Bratcher Joe Bratcher was peacefully called to rest on Friday, April 5. He was a loving husband, father, grandfather and great-grandfather. Mr. Bratcher grew up in Ft. Worth Texas where he began piano studies at an early age. After a celebrated recital career he moved on teach at the University of Texas at Austin from 1960-1973. He loved sharing his passion for the piano with all of the students he encountered during his years at the university. From 1973 until his passing, he generously contributed to charitable causes, especially those in the Central Texas area; most notably Seton Hospital, St. Andrew's Episcopal School and the Festival Institute at Round Top through the Bratcher Foundation which he founded with his wife of forty four years, Rhobie. He will be greatly missed by his three children: Brigid Cockrum, Joe Bratcher III, and Wendy Albrecht; his six grandchildren: Alex and Annie Tate Cockrum, Adam and Ian Bratcher, Aaron Albrecht and his wife Beth, and Lauren Albrecht; and his three great grandchildren: Izabel Paige Cockrum, and Orion Augustus and Fawn Josephine Albrecht. We wish to thank the wonderful people who made his last years comfortable, peaceful, and full of joy: Georgia Puente, Jovita Ranjel, and Janie Rivera. We are very grateful to them. And thank you to Shirley Sutton who has always been there for our family. The family will receive friends from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. on Tuesday, April 9th at Weed-Corley-Fish Funeral Home, North Lamar. Funeral services will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Wednesday, April 10, 2013 in the Weed-Corley-Fish Chapel. Interment will follow at Austin Memorial Park. Obituary and guestbook available online at www.wcfish.com



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Published by Austin American-Statesman on Apr. 8, 2013.

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4 Entries

JIM COCKRUM

May 23, 2013

I WILL MISS JOE BRATCHER AND THE WAY HE CARED FOR
FRIENDS, FAMILY, AND THE COMMUNITY.

John Henrick

April 12, 2013

In days of yore, c. 1950, I first met Joe at TCU, and Rhobie not long afterward. An obvious common bond was music, I as listener, they as masterful keyboard artists.

We shared various others interests, though; e.g., literature, humorists / cartoonists [think James Thurber and Walt Kelly], gourmet food, including Rhobie's very own exquisite babas au rhum. Always great conversation and frequently miniature golf!

When their daughter Wendy was born, they awarded me the distinct honor of being her Godfather.

Idyllic scenes are impermanent, and when 1960 arrived, they moved to Austin and I to Seattle to work at Boeing for the next thirty-five years. Fortunately for me, Joe and Rhobie made occasional trips to Seattle for stockholders' meetings and it was déjà vu all over again.

One year, we three journeyed north to attend the annual Skagit Valley Tulip Festival. Viewing endless rainbow-hued fields whets the appetite, and we ended our tour feasting on the unique cuisine offered in the nearby village of La Conner.

In off years, we remained in touch via letters and long-distance calls, sometimes lasting for hours. Family photos revealed that the red of Rhobie's hair found its match in that of their daughter Brigit and her daughter Annie Tate.

After their son Joe founded Host Publications, they made sure that I received many admirable anthologies and films as they appeared.

It would take a tome much larger than this Guest Book to tell of all the happy hours I've passed with Joe, who never saw an oyster he didn't enjoy; never opened a score by Ferruccio Busoni, Alexander Scriabin, or Kaikhosru Sorabji he didn't master; and never failed to dazzle us all with his brilliant wit.

In 2004, Joe and I drove to Whidbey Island, famous for its wineries and restaurants, where my wife Angela took the attached photo, more than half a century from the time I first met Joe.

Eva Davila

April 9, 2013

RIP Mr. Bratcher, Family so sorry for your Loss,

kimberly martin

April 8, 2013

Brigid and family so very sorry for your loss

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Memorial Events
for Joe Bratcher

Apr

9

Visitation

5:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.

Weed Corley Fish Funeral Homes and Cremation Services - North

5416 Parkcrest Drive, Austin, TX 78731

Apr

10

Funeral

10:00 a.m.

Weed Corley Fish Funeral Homes and Cremation Services - North

5416 Parkcrest Drive, Austin, TX 78731

Funeral services provided by:

Weed Corley Fish Funeral Homes and Cremation Services - North

5416 Parkcrest Drive, Austin, TX 78731

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