Regina Ann Wolpert Ratino 1946 - 2018
WOLPERT, RATINO, BLOCK
Posted By: Connie Swearingen- Volunteer (email)
Date: 12/19/2018 at 20:04:58
Onawa Democrat
12 December 2018Regina Ann Wolpert Ratino, 72, entered eternal life on November 20, 2018. Memorial services for Regina will begin with a visitation on Friday, November 30 from 4 to 8 pm at the Meyer Brothers Colonial Chapel at 3220 Stone Park Blvd, Sioux City with a Prayer Service at 7 pm. The Funeral Mass will be on Saturday, December 1 at 10:30 am at St. John's Catholic Church in Onawa, Iowa with the Rev. Michael Erpelding officiating. Burial will follow in the Onawa City Cemetery in Onawa. Arrangements are under the direction of Meyer Brothers Colonial Chapel. Online condolences may be given at meyerbroschapels.com
Regina was born at St Joseph’s Hospital in Sioux City, Iowa, on October 14, 1946 to Dr. Paul and Katherine (Block) Wolpert of Onawa. She was the fourth of nine children. She attended Onawa grade school and graduated from West Monona High School. A highlight from these years and proud accomplishment for Regina was her assistance to win the state title for the 1964 Girl's State Basketball Championship team. After high school, she enrolled at Duchesne College of the Sacred Heart in Omaha, and then completed her Bachelor of Arts in history from Creighton University. While in Omaha, she met the love of her life, Dr. Richard Ratino. The two celebrated the sacrament of Holy Matrimony on August 25, 1969, at St John’s Church in Onawa.
Following their marriage, they moved to Cleveland, Ohio where Dr. Ratino completed his internship and residency program in obstetrics and gynecology. Regina attended Case Western Reserve Law School and received her J. D. degree during this time. After a few years in Ohio, they returned to Sioux City and made it their permanent residence.
Together, they welcomed, loved, and raised five beautiful children. Regina's greatest joy was living out her vocation as a wife and mother. She cherished all the moments spent celebrating birthdays and holidays and eagerly attended countless sporting events and functions to cheer and offer support. She welcomed the opportunity to be a coach for her children in numerous sports like volleyball and tennis and enjoyed the chance to be a teacher on the playing field. Being a grandmother was a glorious gift. Words cannot convey how precious her grandchildren were to her and the treasure she found in watching them grow and being a part of their lives.
In addition to her family life, Regina was active in her parish and community activities. She strived to attend Mass daily. Regina believed in the sanctity of all human life especially unborn life and fought tirelessly to raise awareness for the unborn. She helped arrange and promote numerous screenings on various pro-life and religious movies over the years for the public. Regina had a special devotion to The Divine Mercy and St. Faustina and assisted with the effort to bring a relic of St. Faustina from Poland to Trinity Heights.
Regina's faith and family were the cornerstones to her life. She found comfort and truth in the Catholic Church and strove to live as Christ would. She was unfathomably blessed because of her brothers and sisters and their spouses and the lifetime of support, memories, and love they shared with her. Regina treasured her forty-nine years of marriage with her loyal husband and found true happiness in the relationships she had with her children and grandchildren. She loved and was loved by all who knew her.
During the last two months, Regina experienced numerous health issues. She was humbled and incredibly grateful for all her prayer warriors. The outpouring of support is something she said she would never forget.
Regina is survived by her husband Richard Ratino and her five children; daughter Christine (Shane) Keith; son Thomas (Raygen) Ratino, daughter Theresa (Aaron) Shepard, son Timothy (Julie) Ratino, and son Brian (Lesleigh) Ratino. She also is survived by her three sisters, five brothers, many nieces and nephews and her grandchildren (Jacob, Nathan, Aaron, Lindsay, Ashley, Mario, Alex, Sal, Francesca, Leo, and Sophia)
The family kindly requests memorials be directed to St. Gabriel's Communication, Ltd. (FHCRadio.com) or St. John's Catholic Church in Onawa, Iowa.
Monona Obituaries maintained by Linda Ziemann.
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