Ramona Raphael Balcom

She is survived by her children Gary and Deborah (Michael), her six grandchildren – Andrea, Erin, Julie, Kate, Sam, and Rebecca, and her daughter-in-law, Suzanne. Ramona was predeceased by her husband, Donald, and her son, Randal.

Ramona was born in Malay Falls, N.S. on April 10, 1931, the only child to Clarence and Muriel Anderson.

As a young adult, Ramona moved to Dartmouth where she worked for the RCMP for a number of years until she met the love of her life, her future husband, Donald Balcom. In 1952, they married and moved to Hamilton, Ont. It was there that they had their two sons. In 1957, they returned to Dartmouth, N.S. where their daughter was born in 1958.

In her earlier years, Ramona was very active in the IODE and Professional Engineers' Wives; however, her greatest joy was looking after her husband, children and grandchildren. She loved to cook delicious meals for her family and friends, always experimenting with new recipes. Ramona and Don loved to entertain, which they did frequently. Both were avid bridge players, and they thrived on special occasions, celebrating with family and friends. Ramona's delicious baked goods were always a big hit.

We hope people will remember Ramona for her kindness to others, her love for her family and friends, and her feisty personality. Her love and generosity will be dearly missed.

We would like to give our sincere thanks to the staff at the Memory Care Unit at Parkland at The Lakes, the Palliative Care Unit at the Dartmouth General Hospital, Marie-Claire Chartrand, Greywave Sr. Consulting and Cindy Gill of Continuing Care. Their information and care was very much appreciated.

Upon Ramona's wishes, cremation has taken place. There will be a Celebration of Life reception on Sunday, September 28th, 2025 from 2pm – 4pm at A.L Mattatall Funeral Home, 217 Portland St., Dartmouth, N.S. Internment date is yet to be determined.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Ramona's memory to the Alzheimer’s Society of Nova Scotia.