Obituary of Donna L. Ragatz

Donna L. Ragatz August 11, 1969 - January 04, 2007 Donna L. (Braun) Ragatz, 37, of 6 Muirwood Court, Brookfield, beloved wife of Bill Ragatz, died at the Danbury Hospital on Thursday, January 4th after a short but courageous battle with cancer. She was born in Red Bank, New Jersey on August 11, 1969, daughter of Ed and Diane (Brog) Braun of Colorado. Donna grew up in Boulder, Colorado and graduated from Fairview High School, Class of 1987. From there she went on to Iowa State University and graduated with distinction in 1992 with a B.S. in Exercise Science. At Iowa State she swam competitively and was Captain of the Iowa State Swim Team. Donna remained an avid athlete after college and recently ran half marathons in Danbury and San Francisco. After college, Donna accepted a position as Program Director and Head Swim Coach for the YMCA in Newton Iowa. Donna and Bill were married in 1994 and moved to Durham, North Carolina where she worked as the Assistant Aquatics Director at the local YMCA. They later moved to Schwenksville, Pennsylvania where she worked as Teaching Assistant in the Head Start program before deciding to stay at home and devote her time to family. After moving to Brookfield in 2002, Donna quickly became a beloved and active member of the community who always found time to help others. She was a volunteer at Center and Huckleberry Schools in Brookfield and an active member of the Brookfield YMCA. Donna will be remembered for her bright smile, relaxed outgoing nature and ability to put others at ease. She was a loving mother, wife, daughter, sister and friend who will be sadly missed. In addition to her husband, Bill, and her parents, Ed and Diane Braun, she is survived by cherished children, Jeffrey and Ali Ragatz; her brothers, Jeff Braun and his wife, Katie of Montana, and Bill Braun and his wife, Denise, currently residing in Russia; her in-laws, Thomas and Karen Ragatz of Wisconsin; as well as several nieces and nephews. Funeral Information A Memorial Service will be held on Monday, January 15th at 2:00pm at St. John's Episcopal Church in New Milford. Cremation will take place at the direction of the family. The family will receive friends at the Cornell Memorial Home, 247 White Street, Danbury, on Sunday, January 14th between the hours of 4:00 and 7:00pm. Donations Information In lieu of flowers, the family has requested that Memorial Contributions in her memory may be made to the American Cancer Society, 372 Danbury Road, Wilton, Connecticut, 06897-2523 or to Anne's Place, 39 Old Ridgebury Road P-4 Suite 17, Danbury Connecticut, 06810.