NSA Family Mourns the Loss of Jared Bratcher

Darrell Garbacik, who was inducted into the inaugural BPA Hall of Fame alongside Bratcher in 2012, took the news pretty hard.

“He was a brother to me, and he was Sonja’s brother. As he was to his Team KY BPA inner circle,” Garbacik said. “It’s been a gut punch and heartache for his wife Ellen, Jared’s family, our NSA/ BPA family, and wealth of friends. One of the best ever is gone. And that’s been hard to accept.”

Owensboro community leaders reflected on his impact — saying it went well beyond his role in sports — and touted Bratcher’s work ethic, humility, and generosity. 

Bratcher was injured in a car accident earlier this month. His wife Ellen provided the public with updates from the hospital on her Facebook page over the last couple of weeks. 

Comments from community members on Ellen’s posts prove that Bratcher was well-loved and respected. Countless kind messages were shared, prayers were offered, and many people have expressed a desire to help in various capacities. 

That sort of response came as no surprise to Karen Porter, former executive director of the Owensboro-Daviess County Convention and Visitors Bureau (now commonly known as Visit Owensboro). Porter hired Bratcher in 2008, and they worked together for 7 years until she retired. 

“Jared was so loved,” Porter said. “He was the most unselfish person. If you’ve been reading (Ellen’s) posts and the responses, it’s just amazing to me.”

Porter said Bratcher was working to promote sports within a private business, but she created the Sports Marketing Director position at the Visitors Bureau specifically to hire him in early 2008.

“His responsibility was to bring sports tournaments into Owensboro, which he was already doing, but we just increased the opportunity to be able to do that through the state tourism office,” she said.

Almost immediately after Bratcher came on board, the Executive Inn closed downtown, dealing a major blow to not just tourism but the local economy at large. Bratcher helped the CVB weather the storm.

“It was a very scary time for tourism in Owensboro,” Porter said. “Jared and the team that we had there at the Visitors Bureau all really started focusing on how to bring tournaments in and how to take care of those families. It was also at a time of economic downturn for the entire country. We were able to keep the doors open for hotels and a lot of the businesses that are associated with tourism — because families may not go on vacation, but they’re going to the sports tournaments their kids are in.”

Bratcher’s role in sports tourism extended well beyond the limits of Owensboro. He was a founding member of TEAMKentucky, an organization promoting sports tourism statewide.

His main impact, though, was in Owensboro-Daviess County. For example, he played a major role in helping Owensboro be recognized in 2017 by Sports Illustrated as the top sports city in Kentucky and among the top ones nationwide.

“He recruited local, regional, and national sporting events to Owensboro that impacted the local tourism economy on an annual basis. He also worked with local sports associations and user groups to assist them in running their tournaments and events,” Porter said. “He was instrumental in the success of sports tourism, developing and promoting new events and festivals, and was an exceptional ambassador for our community. He always went the extra mile and gave from his heart.”

City of Owensboro Mayor Tom Watson said: “Jared was a very hard worker and worked tirelessly to increase the awareness of Owensboro as a sports town.”

Other highlights from Bratchers’ career include extensive work with the National Softball Association (NSA), Baseball Players Association (BPA). Garbacik remembers Bratcher from his time years before BPA.

“When I first met Jared in the early ’90s, we were kids-barely young adults,” he said. “Jared’s kindness and approach to life is unforgettable, and there’s been lots of testament to that in the past few days. He touched many lives in profound ways.”

Bratcher is being remembered for well more than his accomplishments. 

Ross Leigh, who spent many years as Daviess County Parks & Recreation Director, had a deep connection with Bracher.

“I’m struggling, like many others, with Jared’s loss,” Leigh said. “Serving the citizens of Daviess County for the last 22 years with Daviess County Parks and Recreation, I can think of no one who worked harder than Jared to always bring the best. His knowledge of athletic facilities maintenance and ball tournament programming was only calloused by his love for the Cincinnati Reds. (My) being a personal fan of the St. Louis Cardinals always allowed the two of us to share a love for the game while rubbing each other’s face in a recent win or loss. Jared’s genuine character was obvious to those who knew him but his desire was never to be front and center.”

Heath Eric, promoter with event services The Eric Group, also developed a close relationship with Bratcher over the years.

“I am heartbroken. Jared was an exceptional human being and one of the most considerate, passionate, unselfish, and fun-loving people I have ever known,” Eric said. “I can’t even count the times he helped me. We made great memories in various endeavors, events, and adventures. And any time I ever needed anything — a boat when the river flooded, a cell phone when mine broke, tickets to a Cincinnati game — Jared never hesitated.”

Eric said he worked with Bratcher for 15+ years on his BPA and NSA opening ceremony events that brought tens of thousands of people into the community. 

“He won so many consecutive awards we lost count, but was always so humble when we would say anything about it,” Eric said. “That was Jared.”

Eric added that Bratcher was a “best friend” to the entire region. 

“The impact Jared’s life and his work had on countless individuals, teams, organizations, companies, cities, counties, and even the state is simply impossible to quantify,” he said. “That impact will be reflected for years to come.”

After listing off many of Bracther’s accomplishments and noting how the community has shown an outpouring of love, Porter wrapped up her interview with a final thought Thursday night:

“I always say the best thing I did as director of CVB was to hire Jared, and it was true for so many reasons. The timing was just perfect because we really had to scramble and really create a whole new thing when the Executive Inn closed. That was a huge impact on everybody in Owensboro.”

Porter said a fundraiser will be set up for the family in the coming days, and that information is expected to be shared on Facebook.

Services for Bratcher will be held on Saturday and Sunday.