|
J.D. Brattin |
Contents |
Most Recent Updates
|
I’m not sure what convinced me to put this page together. Was it a desire to exalt my Dad, or merely to explain him, leaving it to others whether he should be celebrated? Was it a gift to his family and friends who miss him, and even more, to the family (like my wife and daughter, and his eleven other grandchildren) who never got to experience him? Maybe it’s a bit of all these things.
Perhaps it’s the upcoming milestones that have launched this site. My own 40th birthday is coming up in a few weeks (close to Dad’s entire life span); what would have been Dad’s 65th birthday is coming up in November; in less than two years we’ll be marking the 25th anniversary of his death.
As I mentioned when I spoke on Dad’s behalf on the occasion of his induction into the Michigan Chess Association Hall of Fame, it was something of a tragedy that he was not buried anywhere, because people couldn’t go read a headstone and thus be reminded of the man. But then again, what could a mere headstone say? There’s far too much than that which could be properly chiseled. Besides, it was always his wish that he be cremated, and his ashes were scattered at one of his favorite places on earth, the Silver Lake Sand Dunes in Oceana County, near Lake Michigan. It should be noted that within fifteen years the ashes of both his parents joined him there.
My hope is to present a clear picture of a rather remarkable person. It won’t all be pretty; as he’d be the first to admit, the photos alone preclude that. For the sake of the young and impressionable, I will curb some of the earthier language that Dad was prone to use. (I was unable to curb all of it; the stuff that isn’t Rated G will have a header marked in Red). I will also forsake, for the most part, trying to psychoanalyze him; many professionals tried that already, and they could never come to any conclusions.
In any event, the things written below are there to be enjoyed. Most of the stories come from my personal memory banks—anything acquired from some other source is duly noted—but I’ve received some priceless anecdotes from my Mother and my Aunt Katie, among others. If you knew J.D. Brattin, chances are you have a good story about him, and I’d be delighted to add anything you might wish to share. Thank you!
Vincent J. Brattin
July 2004
This is a strange day for me. Unique, in fact. On this day I am exactly the same age that Dad was the day he died. If I survive to tomorrow, God willing (and I do expect to), I will have had a longer life span.
This brings up two questions: How am I doing? And Why have I been given a longer life?
In many ways I am very similar to my Dad. I’m the only one of his three sons who resembled him at all, and I am practically his living image. (He was a pretty ugly guy, come to think of it.)
| Similar | Different |
|---|---|
| appearance voice weight chess humor writing politics laziness |
health smoke spouse children homes pets religion education |
In some ways I’m doing far better than Dad did; in other ways I’m nowhere near him.
The other question (Why?), may not have a definitive answer.
If, as I tend to believe, all things are under the control of an all-powerful, all-knowing God, then that means that God ordained the events of Dad’s lifetime—including the end of it—for His own purposes, whatever that was. Each breath we breathe is a gift from God. In consequence, if I have been given more breaths, then there must be a reason for it: that God isn’t done with me yet, and has some set purpose for me to continue living here on earth.
As to what that purpose is, I couldn’t say. Perhaps He wants me to be an Awana worker for another year, or another five years, or, ten, or thirty, or something. Perhaps it’s to be the Daddy that my Lydia obviously still needs. Perhaps there are many smaller reasons that I have yet to experience.
These things are unknowable until the end comes.
Why wasn’t Dad given more time to accomplish things with his obviously great gifts? Why couldn’t he have been given time to steer his daughters—as they approached teenagerhood—toward proper paths? Again, I don’t know. Perhaps God knew that my sisters, after some bumpy times, would turn out all right, and wouldn’t really ‘need’ Dad, after all.
Dad was a smoker all his adulthood, and grappled with a host of other ailments; if it hadn’t been for his accident, he may well have died by this time of some other cause. Maybe it would have been something lingering and painful, and God ordained his accident to save the family what would have been a different kind of suffering.
I don’t know where Dad is now; that’s an ever-present gnawing thing. Did he believe in the saving work of Jesus Christ? My great hope is that he made that decision in his boyhood, perhaps after an invitation at a church, or in conversation with his devout maternal grandparents, or after reading the Bible himself (he was very well read, and knew a fair amount of scripture); alas, the decision doesn’t seem to have shown much in his later life. Still, God could forgive him for that.
Besides, my own is hardly a life without blemish. Who am I to judge, me with the beam in my own eye? Would somebody, knowing all the details of my life, guess where I would spend my own afterlife?
In any event, this strange anniversary is about to pass, never to be reached again. It just gives me cause for wonder, an opportunity to do some thinking.
Dad was a great thinker. He would have liked that.
Here’s to you, Dad.
—Vincent, 11/15/2005
It’s scary to think that it’s been more than a year since I’ve done even the mildest of updates (and two years to the day since I beefed up the Introduction—that was not planned, folks). It’s been a busy year, to be sure (my weekly updates on my daughter’s web page have been averaging about 900 words in length), but I certainly could have made a better effort of it. Actually, it’s a phenomenon I find to plague many sites. I’ve bookmarked a number of personal web pages of people I know, and when I looked through them recently I found that a surprising number have either disappeared altogether or have become dormant. Fortunately, I feel that I’ve got enough content here in the stories, photos, and chess games that dormancy isn’t a great problem—it’s not, after all, a treatise on current events or anything.
Not many, but a few significant events in the J.D. Brattin realm have taken place of late. I’ll recount them.
—Vincent, 11/15/2007
Back to Contents
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 25 November 1939 | John David Brattin born in Chillicothe OH |
| 14 July 1941 | sister Katherine Elizabeth Brattin born in Lansing MI |
| 18 October 1945 | sister Nancy Lu Brattin born in Lansing MI |
| 13 October 1947 | sister Celia Jane Brattin born in Lansing MI |
| 5 April 1950 | sister Helen Louise Brattin born in Lansing MI |
| 22 December 1953 | sister Stella Margaret Brattin born in Lansing MI |
| 30 July 1956 | brother Joel James Brattin born in Lansing MI |
| 1957 | graduates from East Lansing High School |
| 1957-8 | attends Antioch College (Yellow Springs, OH) |
| 1958-60 | attends Colorado State College (Greeley CO) |
| 1960-1964 | attends and graduates from Michigan State University (East Lansing MI) |
| 5 June 1962 | marries the former Vicki Jean Crabtree in Coldwater MI |
| 2 April 1963 | first child Roger William Brattin born in Lansing MI |
| 11 August 1964 | second child Vincent John Brattin born in Lansing MI |
| 4 August 1966 | third child Brian Patrick Brattin born in Lansing MI |
| 1967 | moves to Hudson MI |
| 19 April 1969 | fourth child Laura Lu Brattin born in Hillsdale MI |
| 1971 | becomes Michigan chess champion |
| 20 May 1972 | fifth child Deborah Jean Brattin born in Hillsdale MI |
| 1972 | moves to Battle Creek MI |
| 1974 | runs for Michigan State Senate, 20th Dist. |
| 1977 | moves to Midland MI |
| 28 February 1981 | dies in car accident in Midland MI |
| 1988 | is inducted in Michigan Chess Association Hall of Fame |
Back to Contents
Someone may well ask, “Why the background? What’s with this wood pattern?” Well, no single color seems to symbolize or represent my Dad adequately. I tried several, but nothing seemed to be good enough. Then I recalled that there were several wood objects that I will always associate with him: chess boards, his pipe, his guitar, and even the dining room table from where I heard so many of his stories. At that point, a wood pattern seemed perfectly natural.
The following lists are things that, to be honest, would not have interested Dad in the least. Still, I thought it would be neat to list some accomplished people that Dad had a peculiar kinship with. I have trimmed some of the lists of some of the less-well-known figures.
Indian chief Tecumseh is also said to have lived in Chillicothe, but was not born there.
He was born and died on Saturdays. (His daughters were also born on Saturdays.)
His first name (John) is from the New Testament, and his middle name (David) is from the Old Testament. His brother (Joel James)’s pattern was reversed. There are almost no other biblical names in the family until his granddaughter, Lydia Rachel Brattin, which repeats his pattern.
He was from a long line of first-born males, and the line continued beyond him:
Back to Contents
Family Tree—this is set up with my daughter Lydia as the focal point, but obviously has information pertaining to J.D.’s genealogy as well.
Marshall Appraisal & Specialty
Back to Contents
If you have a comment, a question, or would like to add something, please send them to Vincent Brattin. Thanks!
Back to Contents
