Myrtle Ratti

Born June 20, 1927 to Myrtle Selzer Flemm and Emil Flemm at home in Newark, NJ. The oldest of three children and the first grandchild on both sides, Myrtle - called "Mickey" by her father from the age of three - was a tomboy. She loved to ride the bike that she shared with her brother Bob, race down the street with the neighborhood kids and climb the chain link fences surrounding the school to get onto the playground. She grew up loving to go to the movies (.05 cents back then!) with the money she earned by running errands for elderly neighbors. She could name all the stars of the Golden Age of Hollywood and knew their backgrounds (her favorite star was John Wayne but she really admired Hedy Lamarr who was a scientist for the Allies in WWII). Eventually she took a job at Bell Telephone and it was there that she made many friend- ships with women who would later become her sisters-in-law. One of her friends (Helen) introduced Mickey to her handsome, Army Veteran, brother George Ratti. They dated steadily and married on April 17, 1948 at St. Stephens Catholic Church in Kearny, NJ. Moving from the city around 1950, they built a home in Hillsdale, NJ where they resided from 1951 until July of 1986 with their three children: Karen, Cindy and George and later Christian, their first grandchild. In 1986 they retired to Sun City, Arizona bringing their family with them. Although the love of Mickey’s life predeceased her on June 13, 2004, she continued to live in Sun City and immersed herself in the activities of her children, grandchildren and their families. She traveled back to the east coast (at least every couple of years) to visit relatives and finally made two trips to Europe: Italy in 2008 and England and France in 2010. Mickey is survived by her children: Karen, Cindy (Jess), George (Lori); Grandchildren: Christian (Jennifer), Madison, Jamison, Nick (Tori); and Great Grandchildren: Kyle, Alyssa, Jaxson and Grace. Her brother Bob (Marge) and nieces and nephews Theresa (Joe), Frank (god son), Michael (Lynn), Marybeth (Larry), Joseph (Noreen), Barbara Jo (Frank), Diane, Denise, Kim, Michele (Scott), Keith and all their children. She is also survived by her husband’s cousin in AZ, Theresa. Mickey was predeceased by her parents, Myrtle and Emil Flemm, her younger sister Carole, sisters-in-law Maureen and Helen and lifelong friend Dorothy. Dear Mom (Grandma, Great-grandma, Aunt and Friend), We love you and will miss you every day of our lives. Until we meet again, pray for us!