OWENSBORO – Waldemar “Dwight” Bratcher, Jr. of Owensboro passed away October 15, 2024, at the age of 80, at Hermitage Rehabilitation Center.
He grew up in Greenville, son of Attorney W. D. Bratcher and Pauline Bratcher. The Bratchers were a well-known Western Kentucky family. Bratcher’s grandfather “Jack” Bratcher was Circuit Judge for the 38th District and Commonwealth’s Attorney. His Uncle Bennett Bratcher practiced law at Morgantown, Hartford and Louisville. Uncle Rhodes Bratcher was U.S. Judge, Louisville and Uncle J.V. Bratcher was professor of Russian and history at Western Kentucky University.
Bratcher’s career focused on Republican politics, writing and teaching. For three years he served as Research DIrector of the Kentucky Republican Party. Later he was Director of Kentucky’s Volunteer Program in Corrections.
In Washington, D. C. Bratcher worked for international business consulting firms Research West and Market Analysis International and also as a speechwriter.
He joined Bozell and Jacobs Public Relations, Washington, D. C., as a Consulting Associate for clients such as the Heritage Foundation, the Conservative Caucus, GMA, Nestles and various political candidates.
Bratcher taught English and Literature at Alice Lloyd College in Pippa Passes, KY and later in Nashville at Tennessee State University, Belmont and Volunteer State Community College. In his later years he took up historic preservation masonry.
Bratcher wrote for periodicals such as Appalachian Heritage and the Kentucky Coal Journal. At the time of his death he was completing a book on B-Westerns.
He dearly loved Greenville, Kentucky history, music, books, politics, sculpture, B-westerns, nature and family. He attended First Baptist Church in Owensboro.
Bratcher was preceded in death by his parents, W. D. Bratcher and Pauline Bratcher of Greenville, and his daughter, Cynthia Bratcher of Scottsville, Ky.
Bratcher is survived by his wife, Martha Bratcher, his sister Pam Adelman of Owensboro, his children Andrea Furkin (Barry) and Scott Bratcher of Columbia, Ky, his grandchildren Jack Bratcher (Megan) of Cincinnati, Ohio and Rebecca Poppellwell (Jesse) and his great grandchildren Penelope and Gabriel, of Augusta, Ga.
A Celebration of Life will be held Saturday, Nov. 16 at 11:15 am in Owensboro in the chapel of Brescia University. The chapel is located in the quad behind Brescia’s Moore Center at 717 Fredrica.
