The Bratton Trail, named for Green Mountain Falls trail icon, Dick BrattonBob Falcone
Dick Bratton, a tireless advocate for trails, parks and open spaces in the Pikes Peak region, passed away unexpectedly at his home in Green Mountain Falls last Thursday. He was 84 years old.
Born in Lexington, Kentucky, he grew up in Cooperstown, New York, where his father was employed by the U.S. Forest Service. As Cooperstown is the home of the Baseball Hall of Fame, Bratton developed a love of baseball and he became a lifelong Los Angeles Dodgers fan. A professional architect, he settled in Green Mountain Falls in 1982, after retiring from the U.S. Air Force.
The Bruno family hopes their story serves as a tale of caution for those who want to celebrate the holiday with their loved ones.
Rosa said her father was in great shape mentally and physically until he contracted COVID right before Thanksgiving and died Christmas Eve. He would have turned 88 on Monday. We are mostly in a place of gratitude that we got him for that long, she said.
Now, her family is looking back on her father s eventful life. She said he was a poor Italian immigrant who taught himself English, eventually becoming a college professor and author. He liked activities that kept his mind and body active.