Patricia A. Ratzlaff

Patricia (Pat) Ann Ratzlaff, 72, went to her heavenly home on June 20,2026, passing peacefully at her home with both her daughter and son by her side after a short battle with cancer and related health complications. Even in her final months, her spirit remained steady, gentle, and anchored in the promises of Jesus her Savior without complaint as she would often say “I surrender this to God’s will and know He is with me.”

Rosary will be at 10:00 A.M., Monday, June 29, 2026 and Mass of Christian Burial will be at 10:30 A.M., Monday, June 29, 2026, at St. Cecilia Catholic Church in Hastings, NE. with Father Craig Clinch officiating. Burial will be at Parkview Cemetery in Hastings, NE. Visitation will be June 28, from 1:00 P.M. – 6:00 P.M., with family present from 4:00 P.M. to 6:00 P.M.at Butler Volland Funeral Home in Hastings, NE. Memorials may be given to the family to be used towards planting a tree at Heartwell Park at a later date or be given to National Right to Life https://nrlc.org/ or St. Cecilia Catholic Church https://www.stceciliahastings.org/. The service will be live-streamed on Livingston Butler Volland Funeral Home’s website. To view the service, go to Pat’s obituary and click the play button shown toward the bottom of the page.

Born on Nov. 6, 1953, in Hastings, NE to Alvin Gerald DeJung and Marilyn Ann (Buttell) (DeJung) Zurmiller. She was the eldest sibling daughter of 7 and nurtured and deeply loved her siblings. She was a gifted athlete in her youth and set state records in track and field at Clay Center High School. She graduated with the class of 1972. She was also known for her gift in the arts. She attended the University of Nebraska for a year, majoring in Art. Her creativity was a reflection of her Creator. She painted, sketched, worked with watercolors and pastels, sang in the choir for many years at St. Cecilia church, and even taught herself to play the harp. She was also an amazing baker; her specialty was homemade meringue cream pies, which were a favorite!

She married the love of her life, Rodney (Rod) Ratzlaff, on August 15, 1975, in Lincoln, NE at Sunken Gardens. They shared a simple and sweet life together and provided a wonderful childhood for their kids, Amber and Lance, as well as doted on and were so proud of their 2 granddaughters, Abby and Teagan. Rod and Pat shared nearly 33 years of marriage before his unexpected passing in 2008. Losing him changed her world, and she was never the same without him nor life as sweet, but her reliance on the Lord carried her through her grief and grew her into a deeper closeness with Jesus.

She held many various jobs throughout her life, including Snell Publishing Co/Shotgun News, Hastings Junior High, Dutton-Lainson Co., and ran her own in-home daycare, but her greatest joy and calling was being the mom of her children and nana to her granddaughters. She was a lifelong learner. She was a devoted student of Scripture, filling notebook after notebook with reflections, prayers, and insights from her time in God’s Word. Her home was filled with Bibles, devotionals, prayer books, and Christian and Catholic writings that fed her constant hunger to know the Lord more deeply. She also soaked up non-fiction books upon books and spent many years researching and recording the genealogy of her family, cherishing her Irish Catholic roots. She was frugal, resourceful, and an extraordinary steward of every blessing entrusted to her.

She moved through life unhurried and with a gentle pace to enjoy who she was with or enjoy God’s creation she was immersed in. She had a deep gratitude for others, loved unconditionally, and was an encourager who loved to talk. When someone was in pain, hardship, or trial, she would be a prayer warrior, an available listener, and would do her best to help as she was able. Even when hospitalized, she made sure to thank every nurse and doctor, offering a sincere “God bless you” to each one who cared for her.

She was service-oriented and preferred to work behind the scenes. She also believed deeply in the sanctity of life and lived out that conviction by supporting, praying for, and participating in many National Right to Life initiatives as well as the Salesian Missions, and was a prayer chain participant at her church. She also volunteered with Emergency Service Response teams, participated in many groups, including Divine Will, Bible Study Fellowship, and Grief share.

She was a devoted daughter, sister, aunt, a loving wife, a caring mother, an adoring nana, a faithful prayer warrior, and a kind friend.

She will be remembered and loved for her faith that was not merely something she believed, but lived out and modeled for others. Her Colossians 3:12 “life in Christ” was experienced by those who knew her and would describe her “compassionate heart, kindness, humility, meekness, patience, forgiveness, love, peace of Christ,” and is a beautiful legacy that her family treasures and desires to live on and reflect.

The family would like to express their gratitude to Mary Lanning Hospital staff, Good Samaritan Home Health Care, and St. Croix Hospice for their compassionate care and support. As Pat would say, “God bless you!”

Pat was preceded in death by her parents, stepfather Marvin Zurmiller, sister Kathryn Scott, brother Steven DeJung, and her beloved husband, Rod.

Pat is survived by her children, Amber and Joe Kuphal of Maplewood, MN, and Lance Ratzlaff of Hastings, NE; her grandchildren, Abby and Landen White of Lincoln, NE and Teagan Kuphal of Maplewood, MN; her siblings, Timothy and Martye DeJung of Omaha, NE; Donna and Todd Deines of Fairfield, NE; Kenneth and Bonnie DeJung of Hogansburg, NY; and Sandra DeJung of Grand Island, NE. Pat is also survived by her aunt, Peggy Huffman, and several cousins, nieces and nephews, great-nieces and great-nephews, and the Schmidt Family.