This side of heaven became a little less colorful when Laura Elizabeth Besze Ramirez passed away August 20, 2018. A two-year struggle with cancer claimed her earthly body, but never broke her indomitable, loving spirit. She was 52.
Born in Fort Worth, Texas, Laura proudly lived most of her years in Texas. She attended Irving High School, and was a member of the Tiger marching band. This was remarkable not only because of those amazingly hot and hairy shako hats, but because Laura had scoliosis pushing her five-foot frame crooked. Her a rigid, girdle-like back brace made her cry the first weeks it was worn and cinched. She had to wear it all the time, which meant under the wool band uniform, in the Texas heat, as she tried to get her short legs from hashmark to hashmark. Laura looked like a little baby deer on the football field, practically jumping to make that stride. But she did it. Her determination and perseverance were a foreshadowing of how she would commit to her friends and stare down cancer with faith and a steadfast smile.
Laura graduated from St. Mary’s University in San Antonio with a B.A. in history. Known for her fierce loyalty and being the “cookie lady” before mass, she flourished in student ministries, and was a member of Beta Sigma Phi sorority. Laura was recognized her senior year with the Marianist Heritage Leadership Award for service and faithfulness promoting Christian ideals of the university. She adored San Antonio for Fiesta and would return whenever possible after graduation.
Laura chose to spend life championing others rather than competing with them. She didn’t grow much vertically after middle school, but she grew very comfortable in her own skin. With an exuberant laugh and a childlike spirit, Laura’s niece and nephews knew that if they were playing in water, Aunt Lala would get drenched right there with them. If they were chowing down, so was she. They knew her toenails were most likely to be bright blue, and on Sundays they felt like they could hear Laura cheering on the Dallas Cowboys or bemoaning questionable officiating from across the country – even before she texted. Laura wore a Troy Aikman jersey in her engagement pictures, was visited by former Cowboy Everson Walls on her last birthday, and received calls and autographed encouragement from several past and present players who heard about her struggle and her enduring passion for America’s team.
Employed by Brinker International for 14 years, Laura called her company “a second family.” She cherished her coworkers and her job in Facilities, the embodiment of big-things-come-in-small-packages as she knocked out a considerable amount of work and projects and made it look easy. Her office overflowed with nods to James Bond, Beauty and the Beast, Batman and Wonder Woman. Laura was the sheriff, keeping everyone in line on paperwork, projects, and even their personal lives. Her ready grin was a magnet for anyone experiencing a down day, a circumstance to share or the need for encouragement and accountability. Senior Director of Facilities Chili's Tim Carroll said, “She was a friend to all, mother to some, and sister to others, and that is what made her a great Chilihead that still loved her Maggiano’s boys as well… an irreplaceable part of our family.”
Laura found the love of her life and a kindred kid-at-heart spirit in Anthony Ramirez, whom she married in 2006. She was the actor’s No. 1 fan, and cherished his theater family as well. Shakespeare Dallas would see Laura’s lawn chair and blanket at multiple summer performances of the same show. She took in each one with fresh eyes, pride and devotion. Laura was also devoted to Tony’s mother, Timothea Ramirez, who lived with the couple in Richardson as they all endured the heartbreaking effects of Alzheimer’s disease. Laura was known for speaking loudly and animatedly to the matriarch, and kissed her daily as long as she was able. Mom T, as Laura called her, passed away at 90, just three weeks before Laura.
Laura’s childhood fascination with Wonder Woman, combined with Tony’s passion for collecting all things Batman, became their calling card before and after Laura’s diagnosis. The couple “embodied community,” as one neighbor put it, and their dedication to Tony’s mom and to facing cancer head-on only deepened the love and respect friends and neighbors felt. Their lawn of their Canyon Creek home was inundated by a tribute of superhero symbols this summer, and red capes in each yard billowed in the breeze behind signs reading “Northview Drive loves Laura and Tony.” One neighbor projected a huge Batman spotlight within view of the couple’s porch.
Laura’s love of color and sparkle and her bouncy handwriting were emblematic of her persona. Many said they came to recognize her script, because it came like clockwork on timely birthday cards. Laura’s friends said her generosity and joy was often the glue that held friendships together. She once sent a beloved friend stamps in the mail, a not-so-subtle reminder that she needed to hear from her. Her profound dedication and gentle strength were among the traits that led friend Mary Prey to ask Laura to be her daughter Katie’s godmother in 1995. Like being an aunt, Laura considered the role an honor. She thrust abundant love, sparkle and guidance on her precious Katie, who considered her a “fairy godmother.” Whether taking kids to see Power Rangers, buying them sparkly shoes or just talking to them in her trademark sing-song voice, children were a cherished part of Laura’s life, if not her household. Parents intentionally exposed their kids to her radiance.
Hallmark and the holidays are two words always associated with Laura. Halloween would find her and Tony in elaborate couple costumes for parties and creating magic memories for neighbors. Christmas meant decorating multiple trees throughout December. The family joke was that if you wrapped up a box of toothpicks and gave them to Laura as a gift, she would genuinely ooh and ahh as if you had given her keys to a Lexus. Gratitude came to her naturally and often. Giving presents made her even more excited than getting them.
But to so many, Laura was the gift. People across the country shared in her cancer journey, often through her husband’s raw Facebook posts, as she rose each week to meet physical and emotional challenges with gusto and without self-pity. Without vanity and still with a bright smile, she welcomed dozens of friends and relatives into her home repeatedly during her last soul-trying months, asking each visitor how THEY were before they had the chance to ask her the same. She worried about whether her guests were hungry, when she could barely digest food herself. She continued to put others first, as she had her entire life.
Laura said she most wanted to be remembered for loving well. She wanted people to wear color to her memorial service and for her loved ones to “feel hopeful, and know that my love and spirit will remain with them always.”
Laura is survived by her beloved husband of 12 years Anthony Ramirez; her parents Jerry and Mary Besze of Winnsboro; sister Susan and her husband Todd Wallace of Haymarket, Va.; sister Lisa and her husband Brandon Howell of Centennial, Colo.; brother- and sister-in-law Stephen and Rebecca Ramirez of Arlington; and nieces and nephews Zach, Luke and A.J. Wallace, Taylor and Katelyn Howell, Darius and Dominic Ramirez; and Damian and Dahlia Ramirez and their mother Judy.
A funeral service will be held Monday, Aug. 27 at All Saints Catholic Church, 5231 Meadowcreek Dr. Visitation begins at 10:30 a.m., with the service to begin at 11:30 a.m. A rosary will be held in the chapel during the visitation for those who would like to participate. A reception will begin at 1 p.m. at Maggiano’s, 205 Northpark Center, Dallas.
Laura loved the peach roses she chose for her wedding bouquet, but she was also passionate about Shakespeare Dallas and St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Laura’s name to www.shakespearedallas.org/give/ or www.stjude.org/donate/.
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