William Bennett Braatz, 94, a former Cold Spring, Philipstown and Putnam County judge, died March 11 in Port Charlotte, Florida.
He was born June 21, 1930 in Brooklyn, the only son of William Otto Braatz and Florence Ploof. After graduating from Mount Vernon High School, he earned a bachelor’s degree from the SUNY Teacher’s College at Cortland in 1952 and a law degree from Syracuse University in 1958. He served in the U.S. Army from 1952 to 1954.
Bill practiced law for over 20 years in Cold Spring and Carmel, serving as a Cold Spring justice, Philipstown justice, president of the Putnam County Bar Association, president of the Haldane PTA, and secretary-treasurer of the Putnam County Legal Aid Society. He was elected as a Putnam County judge in 1982 and held the seat until his retirement in 1999.
He was also a member of the Cold Spring Fire Co., the Philipstown Masonic Lodge, the American Legion and the Cold Spring Lions. After retiring, he moved to Punta Gorda, Florida, and later Port Charlotte. Bill enjoyed boating, jazz and spending time with his family.
He is survived by his wife, Joyce Christensen; his children, Janet Braatz, Donna Engle, John Braatz and Jean Braatz; and his grandchildren, Taryn, Christopher, Julian and Joseph. His sister, June Petersen, and his granddaughter, Brenna Engle, died earlier.
A service was held March 14 in Port Charlotte. Memorial donations may be made to the Brenna Engle Foundation (brennaenglefoundation.org) to support children in Ukraine.
