Donald George Ramey

Donald George Ramey, 77, died on February 21, 2020 from complications of pancreatic cancer. He was born in Elbert, Colorado on December 6, 1942, son of the late Earl and Helen Ramey. Don was the second of four children.

Don grew up in a rural farming community in eastern Colorado. His family raised cattle, wheat and other crops. The family farm was not electrified until the mid-1940s and the first home telephones were multiparty lines – a system that persisted through the 1980s. His first jobs outside the family farm included working on Harold Zion’s farm at Elbert and traveling across the Midwest for Oliver Clibon on his custom wheat harvest crew. An avid basketball player, Don graduated Elbert High School in 1960 then studied electrical engineering at Colorado State (BSEE 1964), where he was a member of the Farmhouse fraternity. His career brought him to Pittsburgh, PA to work for Westinghouse Electric, where he earned his MSEE in 1965. There he met and married Mary Elizabeth (Liz) Ramey on June 18, 1966. Together, they raised 2 children, spent a year in Boston while Don studied at MIT. They later moved with Westinghouse to Orlando, Florida. Over his 38-year career, Don made many contributions to electrical power system generation and was named an IEEE lifetime fellow in 1995.

Don was known for his spirit of adventure and love of travel. Prior to retiring, he enjoyed taking his family and later grandchildren on trips to the family farm in Colorado and to the Florida beaches. After retiring in 2002, Don and Liz bought a RoadTrek and took many trips around the US, including an epic journey following the path of explorers Lewis and Clark. They also traveled abroad and explored Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Ireland and, most recently, Panama. When at home in Apex, Don enjoyed researching family genealogy and organizing events for the E-Streeters group at his church, as well as volunteering with Resources for Seniors to build ramps and repair storm damage.

He is survived by Liz, his wife of 54 years; daughter Janet Ramey and her husband Dave Edwards; son David Ramey; grandchildren Janine Willis, Loren Reeside, Kristin Vick, Brianna Edwards, Eva Ramey and Sebastian Ramey. He is also survived by his brother Jim Ramey and sisters Dorothy Eidem and Alice Kashner.

A celebration of Don's life will be held Friday, February 28, 2020 at 2p.m. at Edenton Street United Methodist Church (228 W Edenton St, Raleigh). A reception will follow the service in the church commons.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Don's name to Edenton Street United Methodist Church or to the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network https://www.pancan.org/.

Arrangements by Brown-Wynne, 300 Saint Mary's Street, Raleigh.