Cleatus H. Rattan, 87, Texas Poet Laureate of 2004, died October 7, 2023 in Los Angeles, California with his loving son Jason by his side. He died of heart failure after a brief illness.
He was born on October 14, 1935 in Irving, Texas and was the only son of Lena Mae and Cleatus H. Rattan, Sr. Cleatus attended Irving High School where he was a standout athlete and met friends who were by his side throughout his life. After high school, Cleatus enrolled at Southern Methodist University where he was on the football team, pledged the Kappa Alpha fraternity, and found treasured friends. He left SMU to enlist in the United States Marine Corps where he served four years and attained the rank of Sergeant. While serving in the Marine Corps, Cleatus developed a lifelong interest in literature that he pursued when he enrolled at the University of North Texas (UNT). At UNT, Cleatus met the love of his life, Connie Hood (Rattan) in a French class. He earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from UNT and he and Connie were married in 1961. Cleatus later obtained a master’s in education from UNT, a master’s in fine arts from SMU and a Ph.D. in education from Texas A&M Commerce where he was later named a Distinguished Alumnus for his contributions to Poetry and Literature.
Cleatus and Connie moved to Cisco, Texas where Cleatus taught English at Cisco College until he was named the Mayborn Professor of English at Mary Hardin Baylor University. Cleatus was a prolific and distinguished poet who authored numerous collections of poetry (135 Miles to Dallas and The Border are among the published collections) and was published in hundreds of scholarly journals. He was recognized with the Texas Review Poetry Prize, the Mesquite Prize, the New Texas Poetry Prize and the Texas Senate and State House selected him as the Texas State Poet Laureate in 2004.
In addition to poetry and his career as a writer, Cleatus had many other interests and talents. He was an avid athlete and devoted coach to his three sons who all report their time in sports under his sage direction as cherished memories in their lives. He was an outdoorsman and worked on ranches in an around Cisco. He served as the rodeo coach at Cisco College where he assisted the early careers of future Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame inductees.
Most importantly, Cleatus was a devoted son, husband, father and faithful member of his beloved congregation, Holy Trinity Episcopal church. Cleatus’ father died suddenly in 1967 and Cleatus loved, honored and cared for his dear mother until her death in 1993. Cleatus’ wife Connie was the love of his life. He cherished her and wrote poetry for and about her. His poem Future Perfect said of Connie, “…someday, I will have loved you forever….” Cleatus and Connie were married for 59 years and lived in Cisco until Connie’s death on December 9, 2020. Cleatus then moved to Los Angeles where he lived with his son Jason. Cleatus and Connie were deeply devoted and long standing (mid-1960s forward) members of the Holy Trinity Episcopal church in Eastland, Texas where Cleatus served as a lay reader for many years.
Cleatus is survived by his sons and their families including Randall and Heather Rattan of Dallas, Texas, Jason Rattan of Los Angeles, California and Raiford and Ali Rattan of Fort Worth Texas and his grandchildren Claire, Rachel, Ryan and Elodie. He was preceded in death by his beloved wife Connie Rattan in 2020 after 59 years of marriage. Cleatus, Sr. died suddenly in 1967 and his mother, Lena Mae, died in 1993 after several years of being lovingly cared for by him upon her moving to Cisco, Texas to live nearby him.
