Linda Rose (Reebel) Bratton

Linda Rose (Reebel) Bratton August 1, 1945 – August 6, 2023 Linda Bratton, an artist, homebuilder and sailor of the Caribbean, passed away suddenly at Concordia of Monroeville on Sunday, August 6, 2023. Her husband, Bob Bratton, was at her side. She was 78. Throughout her life, Linda enjoyed painting and sculpting, movies and reading, visiting friends and being with her family. She was beloved by all for her loving heart, practical mind and adventurous spirit. Linda was born on August 1, 1945, to William and Sylvia Reebel, and grew up in Dormont, a suburb of Pittsburgh. She attended Hillsdale Elementary School, Dormont High School, and Carnegie Mellon University, where she studied art. She met her husband to be, Bob Bratton, at an Eat ‘n Park diner. It was a wintry day, and Linda and her sister, Ruth Reebel, were parked outside in their little Austin Healey sports car waiting for service. Bob and his friends were also parked outside in their sports cars, and invited Linda and Ruth inside the diner for coffee. Linda and Bob, a chemical technician, were married on July 16, 1965. The couple settled in Dormont, where their sons, Rob and Jim, were born. In 1981, they moved to Murrysville, where, working together, they built an energy efficient dome home, complete with greenhouse and solar panels. The couple then started a successful home repair business using the skills they had learned in building their home. Linda also worked as a nanny for many years In 1997, after Bob retired, they sold their home and moved to Florida where they bought a 46-foot, live-aboard Morgan sailboat. The couple completely rehabbed the boat, and set sail from Ft. Lauderdale in 1998 on a cruise that would take them through the many islands of the Caribbean, including Nassau, the Turks and Caicos, Grenada, and Trinidad. They sailed as far south as Puerto La Cruz, Venezuela, where they went ashore to meet Linda’s sister, Ruth, and visit Angel Falls, the world’s tallest waterfall. They then sailed back through the Caribbean to Florida and along the Gulf Coast, eventually docking at Galveston, Texas. Weary of traveling, Linda and Bob stayed for a time at Ruth’s winter home in Bandera, Texas. In 2007, they sold their sailboat and bought a home in Bandera. Bob’s mother, Juanita Bratton, was in failing health, so the couple brought her into their home and cared for her until her death. They loved their time in Bandera and made many friends. But in 2019, as Bob’s health declined, they moved to Morningside at Menger Springs, a senior living complex in Boerne, Texas. Linda experienced a stroke there on December 25, 2022. In June 2023, with the help of family, she relocated with her husband to Pittsburgh to be close to their sons. Once there, she was surrounded by family, and rejoiced in seeing her sons and grandsons on their near-daily visits. The couple celebrated their 58th wedding anniversary just three weeks before she died. She is survived by her husband. Bob Bratton; her sons, Rob Bratton of Monroeville and James Bratton of McKees Rocks; her grandsons, Lucas, Steven and Cole Bratton; her sisters, Ruth Reebel of Amherst, Massachusetts, and Carol Benfell of Graton, California; and her many cousins, nieces and nephews. A memorial service will be held at a future date.

Linda Rose (Reebel) Bratton

August 1, 1945 - August 6, 2023