JOHN BARATTA, 53, of Easton, Md., died May 17 at home after a battle with cancer. He was raised in the Robertsville section of Marlboro, but spent most of his adult life in Manalapan. He had been the owner-operator of John Baratta Auto Body, Freehold until four years ago when he retired to Virginia and then Maryland. A member of the National Rifle Association, Mr. Baratta was a lifelong sportsman whose avid pursuits included bow and rifle hunting as well as aviation. He was a member of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, the U.S. Ultralight Association, and as a member of the Experimental Aircraft Association, he designed and constructed aircraft. He was predeceased by his parents, John P. and Ann Lanahan Baratta. Surviving are his wife, Ann-Marie McCoy-Baratta; first wife, Kathleen Brown Baratta, Freehold Township; and their sons, Jared Baratta and Jeremy Baratta, also Freehold Township, and Jason Baratta and his wife, Ricki, Howell; and a brother, Lyle Linaberry, East Stroudsburg, Pa. Interment was May 20 at Old Tennent Cemetery, Tennent section of Manalapan. Donations may be made in Mr. Baratta’s name to the Deer’s Head Rehabilitation Hospital, Salisbury, Md., care of Dr. Virginia Dulaney, 351 Deer’s Head Hospital Road, Salisbury, MD 21802.