Helene Ramos

Helene “Helen” Ramos, 88, passed away peacefully on Sunday, September 10, 2023, in Placentia, California. She was surrounded by her loving children and grandchildren during the time of her passing. Helen was a devoted wife, mother, daughter, sister, grandmother, and great-grandmother. After a long and prosperous life, it was Alzheimer’s Disease that was the cause of her rapidly declining health.

Helen was born on October 3, 1934 in Liebling, a small German village in Romania. She was the eldest of the four children born to parents Franz and Elizabeth Fuerbach. At the outset of World War II, Helen and her parents were displaced from Romania, and Helen lived on a farm in Salzburg, Austria, separated from her parents to protect her from the war. She eventually lived most of her teenage years in Auleiten, near Frankenmarkt, Austria. In 1952, Helen’s family was sponsored by the German Catholic Church to immigrate to the United States. Helen was 17 years-old at the time and came to Los Angeles, California with her 6 year-old brother, Franz, her 4 year-old sister, Maria (Liz), and her father and mother, who were expecting with their youngest child, Barbara.

In 1955, the Fuerbachs’ neighbors introduced Helen to their handsome cousin, David Ramos, who was serving in the United States Navy. It was love at first sight and they were married a year later, on December 29, 1956. They stood faithfully by each other’s side for the next 64 years before David’s passing in 2021. They were blessed with six children, and in 1970, they moved into their dream home in Placentia, and became lifelong parishioners of St. Joseph’s Catholic Church.

In 1973, while David built and maintained a steady career at Ford Motor Company, Helen obtained her real estate agent’s license and later her broker’s license where she utilized her gift of gab and power of persuasion to excel in residential home sales over the next 40 years. Helen started her own real estate office in Fullerton called, “RBJ Real Estate,” and countless customers have her to thank for encouraging them to buy their first homes. David and Helen routinely invested their income into real estate and used their diligent teamwork to manage and maintain their portfolio of properties.

Large family gatherings were a hallmark tradition of Helen’s life. She and David enjoyed spending time at their vacation homes, especially in Big Bear Lake, where the immediate and extended family would often come together to join in fun mountain activities or just to spend time with each other. She would seamlessly put together all the meals large enough to feed an army. She and David affectionately named their cabin retreat, “Unser Blauer Himmel,” which in German means “Our Blue Heaven.”

Most people who knew Helen would describe her as tough, persistent, sociable, strong, generous, and friendly. She had a work ethic that was unparalleled professionally or personally. She would lead by example and put these skills to good use for the benefit of others. But she has been particularly inspirational for demonstrating her strength and resiliency for enduring and overcoming countless setbacks throughout her life. The more notable ones include the emotional scars caused by the war, two brain aneurisms, and even pancreatic cancer.

She is survived by five of her six children (preceded by David) - Veronica, Jeanette, Robert, Paul, and Shirley, her two sisters – Maria and Barbara, her grandchildren (preceded by Quinn) – Christopher, Janelle, Katie, Natalee, Alexis, Ciera, Chandler, Austin, Haley, Katlyn, Trae, and Paulee, and her nine great grandchildren –Dallin, Austin, Emma, Sofia, Jaxon, Ava, Braydon, Charlee, and RJ.