James E. 'Jim' Ratchford

James E. ‘Jim’ Ratchford, 78, suddenly passed away Saturday, November 16, 2019, at his residence.He was the loving husband of 53 years to Harriet (Hitchings) Ratchford. Born in Scranton, PA, and raised in NJ, he was the son of the late James and Vivian (Wright) Ratchford. Jim had been employed as an electrical engineer with Lucent Technologies, Inc. from 1967 until his retirement in 2003. Jim was a true family man, the “best Pop in town”, enjoyed coloring and spending time with his family, shopping with Nana, and was “Bob the Builder” before Bob ever existed. Surviving in addition to his wife are two children, Kelley D. Forella and her husband, Tony, and Daniel J. Ratchford and his wife, Beth, all of Jacobus; 6 grandchildren, Skylar, Reese and Evan Forella, Ryan, Katie and Matthew Ratchford;3 siblings, Gary Ratchford and his husband, Stan; Sharon Tsongas and her husband, Larry, and Marlene Catalano and her husband, Ronald; and sisters-in-law, Jackie Connolly and Danette Armes. Jim was preceded in death by 7 siblings: Thomas, Jerry, Joseph, and Diane Ratchford, Joan Whitehead, Vivian Jean Gehring, and Carol Zecca. Relatives and friends are respectfully invited to attend a viewing on Friday, November 22, from 6-8 p.m. at Hartenstein Funeral & Cremation Care, Inc., 24 N. Second St., New Freedom. There will be a second viewing on Saturday, November 23, from 10 – 11 a.m. at Hartensteins with a funeral service beginning at 11 a.m. Interment is private and at the convenience of his family. HartensteinCares.com