[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 2]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 2738-2739]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




              HONORING THE LIFE OF RAYMOND E. DOBRATZ, JR.

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. JOE COURTNEY

                             of connecticut

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, March 4, 2010

  Mr. COURTNEY. Madam Speaker, I rise today to mark the passing of a 
great citizen and member of the community in eastern Connecticut. 
Raymond E. Dobratz, Jr. of Old Saybrook, a beloved son and brother, 
devoted husband and grandfather, died tragically while working on the 
site of the Kleen Energy Plant in Middletown on February 7, 2010.
  Ray was a masterful tradesman and a 40-year member of the United 
Association of Plumbers and Pipefitters Local 777 who spent his life 
giving back to the people around him. He served his country with honor 
in the Army National Guard and also served a member of

[[Page 2739]]

the Old Saybrook Police for 13 years. He had an incredible sense of 
what it meant to be a citizen and he spent his life putting that into 
practice.
  Ray's love for his wife, 3 sons, and 5 grandchildren is what really 
defined him. Two of Ray's sons grew up shadowing their father as a 
pipefitter. They admired him greatly and were thrilled when they got to 
spend time with him on the football field. Ray co-founded the Old 
Saybrook Youth Football Athletic League as a coach in the 1980s and it 
still exists today. He loved sports and often played football, soccer, 
and baseball with his friends and family when he had the time. He was a 
fixture in the community and will be deeply missed.
  Ray had a seemingly endless amount of energy to give to his country, 
town and family. He was a model citizen and family man. I ask my 
colleagues to join me in mourning the loss of Raymond E. Dobratz, Jr.

                          ____________________