MTFCA Forum

After a long illness, Pete Ratledge of the Heart of Delaware T's has passed away.

Known for his great detail of knowledge on 1911 Ford's, his always trophy award winning T was a sight to behold.

Condolences to his wife, Mary and the family. He will be missed by many.

Oh WOW...horrible news. I met Pete briefly at my first International tour/car show. He was a nice guy with a great '11. RIP Pete.

Pete was a great guy and will be missed. I was so proud to present him the Stynoski Award for his 1911 Touring, and he was so happy to receive the award. Our prayers are with his family. Russ Furstnow

So sorry to hear. We always enjoyed touring with Pete and his wife.

I was at Pete's home a few years ago and have kept up with correspondence since. I appreciated a true truthful man who liked model T's. RIP Pete, and condolences to your family from ours.. ...... Pete also made a great YouTube video !!!! " 1911 Model T Goes Off-road". Having trouble posting the link.

Was this his?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SdDddEwAmE4


The video: - On the road again - different tires...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7tixeQJyZ0A

Thanks for posting the videos.. the second one was definitely his with him driving, not sure about the first one as he never really mentioned anything about selling his car to me.. ... Always remembered him being at Hershey with the car.

I was last in communication with Pete at the beginning of the month. He said that he was at home on hospice. He had found a caretaker for the car and sold it a couple of weeks before but the buyer asked that his name not be shared. I asked Pete to pass along my contact information to the new buyer.

Pete's car was made about a week and a half before mine, so there are a lot of similarities. We shared a lot of information back and forth and I hounded him relentlessly about not having fore-doors on his car. After I found a set for him, he restored them and would have them on display with all his tools and literature. The first time we met in person was when we both had our cars on tour in Kanab, before I had my pin striping done.

He was a kind man, generous with his knowledge, and loved his wife, Mary. In his last email to me he said he really missed his Model T.
I will miss him.

: ^ (

Keith

Oh, Pete! What a wonder. He kept that Stynoski winner looking gorgeous, but drove the snot out of it. Most T's are drivers, not show cars. Others aren't driven much because they're show cars. Pete was a master of both. I'll miss seeing you at Hershey, Mister Ratledge, and thanks for the swell visits.

Pete (in red cap) with That Car, 2018.



With some old guy, 2016.


Pete, ? ?, Gil Fitzhugh the Elder, 2016.
(Sometimes even names I know escape me.)

I have known Pete for 30 years and have always been amazed how well he kept that car. He was a true gentleman and will be missed.

Very sad too hear, I fine gentlemen and a real student of early Fords. A real loss to our hobby.

Pete was one fine friend, when you say dedicated to the hobby, That was Pete. Whenever Pete and Mary would travel south, They’d always spend the night and we could talk Model Ts until they left the next morning. Pete loved life, his family and his beautiful Model T. Pete was always eager to share his knowledge and was a big help to me in my restoration and winning the beloved Stynoski award. Pete loved Touring and also show his car to others. His Last show was Hershey this year and as weak as he was he still managed to clean and polish her up to win his 98th Preservation award at at AACA National Show. I will miss you buddy, but know you’ll be watching over all us Model T guys!

Sad to hear of the passing of Pete, a true Model T guy, been on several tours with him. He was also a bluegrass musician. RIP

I met Pete on the Mainiely "T" Tours, and then at Hershey when I was restoring and showing my '13. We communicated about tools, tires, etc. My wife's name is also Mary and and we always talked about "my Mary" and "your Mary". He was a true gentleman. Hershey will never be the same for me without him there.

Besides being a dedicated Model T'er, Pete was always a true gentleman, and was always smiling. I always enjoyed seeing him at Hershey and on the tours. He was one of the "good guys" and will be missed. Our sympathy and prayers for Mary and Pete's entire family.

Keith

So long good friend and mentor. There will never be anyone who loved model t's more or would stop to help and encourage another with a modelt.

Condolences to family and friends.

Sad to hear of Pete's passing . I have known Pete and Mary for many years . Pete was a super nice fellow

This message is coming from Pete's account and I am his brother-in-law, Dick Borner. Pete's wife would like to reach out to you the express her complete appreciation for all that is being said about Pete, but she is not ready to do that quite yet. We've been in tears reading your comments and send our heartfelt thanks to all. Please check back when she is able to reply.

So very grateful.

Dick

Below is the Obituary for Pete. He will be missed by all who knew him.

John

Peter B. Ratledge, age 83, of Townsend, DE, passed away peacefully after a courageous battle with cancer on Monday, April 10, 2023, at his home surrounded by family.

He was born on February 8, 1940, to the late Louis Edward and Eleanor (Hildreth) Ratledge. After graduating from Middletown High School in 1958, he was employed by Acme Markets for 19 years before starting his upholstery business in 1979.

In his earlier years, Pete enjoyed climbing the White Mountains of New Hampshire with friends and family. He developed his love for mountain climbing while spending several summers at Camp Mowglis in Hebron, New Hampshire, a camp that forever held a special place in his heart.

Pete and his wife of 62 years, Mary, had a love of antiques, both furniture and cars. He restored two antique Model T Fords, first a 1923 T and then a 1911 T, both of which he kept in pristine condition, and for which he won countless awards. He made many lifelong friends attending car shows and tours all over the country, but he got the most joy driving the back roads near his home with Mary by his side.

He was a member of the Antique Automobile Club of America, the Model T Ford Club International, and the Model T Ford Club of America. His cars have appeared on the covers of both the Model T Ford International and the Model T Ford Club of America magazines. He was also the founder of the Delaware T’s.

Pete was a hard worker and a kind and honest man with a gift for working with his hands. He had a passion for bluegrass music and found great pleasure in playing his upright bass with various musical groups over the years.

Pete was brother to Alice Borner (Richard), Mary Pantano (Joseph) and Katherine
Ratledge. In addition to his wife, he is survived by his three daughters: Christine Brown (James), Linda Heiden (Rick), and Carol Shane (Gary) along with seven grandchildren and 11 great grandchildren. The family held a private celebration of life in his honor.

He will be deeply missed by his family and many wonderful friends.

In lieu of flowers, contributions may be donated in Pete’s memory to: Camp Mowglis
P.O. Box 9 Hebron, NH 03241, or online by visiting mowglis.org.

To plant a beautiful memorial tree in memory of Pete Ratledge, please visit our Tree Store.

My condolences to the entire Ratledge family. Pete was about as fine as they come and his enthusiasm is what sometimes had me wanting join up with Delaware T's from the next state over or a stop in to one of their events.

I'll be sad today, but that is OK, notices such as this also have me also think back to many banquets past...the good times shared with all...many who have also gone ahead.

Steve Jelf wrote: ↑

Fri Jun 30, 2023 9:54 am

The first video shows a beautifully done 1911, but it's not Pete's. The second video definitely shows him and his car. Love it.

Steve and All


Only the videos on April 12 are the ‘real’ ones

The recent post by davi9x are SPAM!

Steve

You are correct of course!

But I should have pointed out that the Spammer added another link to the line. The only reason this thread was re-posted by Davis John was to get paid by his spammer partners......these creeps have invaded our forum several times!

Aha! It took me a long time to catch on, but now I see what's going on.

What looks like only a second link is actually a second, underlined in green, and a third added to it, underlined in red. The one I underlined in green shows Pete and his car. The one underlined in red is to the spammer's Pokemon nonsense. What a foolish waste of time! Does "Davis John" really think any of us will spend a nickel on him?