Ramona D. Steele

May 24, 1941 – July 11, 2014

Ramona was born in Detroit Michigan to parents Annabelle (Jason) and Clement Wizner who lived in Warren Michigan. She is survived by her brothers and sisters Rozanne Laphew, Charmaine Grego, Tina Dixon, Madonna Boris, Chris Wizner, and Andre Wizner. She is also survived by her husband and daughters; Charles E. Steele, Christine Ratliffe, Katrina Kudron, and Angela Steele.

She grew up in Warren Michigan attending the local Catholic school. Upon graduation from high school she attended college in Cleveland Ohio to become a teacher as a nun. She was in the convent for several years in Indiana and California. Even though she had a deep faith in God she decided the convent life was not for her and returned to Michigan taking a job as a receptionist at the Chrysler Design center. She joined the Chrysler Ski Club and met her future husband at the GM – Chrysler Ski Club Christmas party in 1974. They started dating and were soon engaged. In September of 1975 they were married.

In 1976 they moved to the Chicago area where her husband took a job with a leading national design firm. She had a friend who was raising cockatiels, so she brought two thinking it would be fun to have birds for a couple of years. We had birds 25 years! In 1980 they returned to Michigan this time to Battle Creek. In 1980 they also took a trip with other family members to India to visit where Charles’ mother, Dorothy grew up.

The couple adopted three girls all from the same family, thus having an instant family over night. The girls were adorable and a great joy to the couple. Their house was in the country north of Battle Creek and Ramona loved the natural setting with pine trees, a lake and wild life of the area. The girls attended school in the Pennfield school district. Ramona became active in Girl Scouts as the troop leader as she had been a Girl Scout growing up in Warren, MI. She also did substitute teaching in the Battle Creek school system. The family attended Christ Community Church, which was a Reform church. Charles later learned that some of his ancestors were Dutch Reform church members who settled in New Amsterdam, which is today New York City.

In 1990, husband Charles took a job with a dental manufacturer in Romulus MI, so the family moved to Canton. The girls loved the Battle Creek home so it was difficult for them to move to a new neighborhood leaving their childhood friends behind. Ramona continued substitute teaching in the Plymouth-Canton school district for several years. A church friend, Donna Reynolds encouraged her to take a job with Henry Ford College in Dearborn with steady income and better benefits. Later she was able to take a job at Schoolcraft College which was closer to home. Her students loved her class and many wanted to take more classes from her.

Mother-in-law Dorothy and sister-in-law Ann were both active in P.E.O. They got Ramona into the P.E.O. group and she really enjoyed being active in its programs and activities. Her last contribution to the organization was to make nurses’ hat table decorations for the annual statewide meeting this past year.

In 2004 Ramona and Charles took in two grandchildren for a year; Donavon and Skyler. Then in 2005 Ramona’s mother-in-law moved into the home for care. In 2006 Ramona was diagnosed with cancer. She had surgery, chemo and radiation, and after 10 months, it was declared to be in remission. She was back to an active life free of pain, which we were both grateful for. We hosted Dorothy’s 100th birthday party in 2008. In 2009 we moved Dorothy into assisted living home which allowed Ramona and Charles to travel on some much needed vacations. We took a trip to the Carolinas and a trip out West where we visited 22 National Parks, Monuments, and Historic sites. In 2011 we took a tour of central Europe. This was a life-long wish of Ramona’s to visit Europe. Husband Charles made a 3 hour DVD which we watched a number of times.

In June of 2013 Ramona slipped and fell in the bathtub cracking 3 ribs. She was in pain all summer. She started to feel better and was moving furniture and reinjured herself. Her energy level continued to decline and she was admitted to the Univ. of Michigan Hospital in late August. In early September she was diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma Cancer. She was treated and improved somewhat by Christmas. At the family Christmas party she caught a flu bug and with an impaired immune system became gravely ill requiring hospitalization the following week. Her energy level continued to decline during the following months and she passed away on July 11, 2014.

She will be greatly missed by her loving family and friends.

A memorial service will be held Friday July 25th at 11 am at Ward Presbyterian Church 40000 Six Mile Rd. in Northville. (NW corner of church)