Ward Mark Ramirez

Ward Ramirez was an instrument technician and a former employee with Ethyl Corp. and Uniroyal and retired with IBEW Local Union 995. He was a resident of Baton Rouge and a native of Donaldsonville. Ward died at 2:15 a.m. Thursday, March 15, 2007, at the Baton Rouge General Medical Center-Bluebonnet at the age of 82. He was a U.S. Navy veteran of World War II serving on the USS West Virginia during the battle of Iwo Jima. Visitation will be at Rabenhorst Funeral Home East, 11000 Florida Blvd., from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday with recitation of rosary at 6:30 p.m. Visitation will resume at 10 a.m. Monday at St. Alphonsus Catholic Church until the Mass of Christian Burial at 11 a.m., celebrated by the Rev. Thomas Duhé. Interment with military honors will be in Resthaven Gardens of Memory. He is survived by his wife of 56 years, Violet Picard Ramirez; four daughters, Sheryl Wynters and her husband, Johnny, of Jackson, Janice Collett and her husband, Bill, and Marilyn Walker, all of Baton Rouge, and Melanie Bright and her husband, Drew, of The Woodlands, Texas; a son: Russell Ramirez and his wife, Kathy, of Greenwell Springs; three sisters, Lillian "Tula" Odom of St. Petersburg, Fla., Marion "Tekie" Barksdale and Betty Ann Scurria, both of Baton Rouge; two brothers, Donald J. Ramirez and Ward's identical twin brother, Warren M. "Big Bree" Ramirez, both of Baton Rouge; eight grandchildren, Bruce and Jason Miller, Rhett and Dirk Ramirez, Jeremy Vicknair, Angela Walker, Austin and Leighton Bright; and eight great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his parents, Wilfred "Freddie" and Lillian Ramirez of Donaldsonville; brothers, Will, Lloyd, Harold and Richard P. "Sonny" Ramirez; and sisters, Hazel LeBlanc and Elma Medine. His grandsons will serve as pallbearers. He was a member of St. Alphonsus Catholic Church, a charter member of the Baton Rouge Bass Club, an avid bass fisherman and duck hunter and loved his camp at Belle River. He was a member of IBEW for 45 years with Local Unions 767 and 995; and the Knights of Columbus for 25 years. The family wishes to express special thanks to his caregivers, Barbara Phillips and Jan Fassino, for their compassionate care and also to the nursing staff of the fourth floor of the Baton Rouge General Medical Center-Bluebonnet for their kind and compassionate care. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital of Memphis, Tenn., The Ronald McDonald House or the National Parkinson's Association.