James Montayre Ramirez

Commercial Pilot, Orchid Grower, Group Home Parent, Special Education Assistant.

James Montayre Ramirez died peacefully at home at 3 PM on August 2, 2025.

He is survived by his children (and spouses), James Jr. (Alma), Joselito (Janet), Ann Maureen (Assad), Eugene Glenn (Rochelle), Michael Dean (Esper), Janet Lynn, Diana Jean (Rudy), Ruth Arleen (Eric), Benjamin Francis, and Richard (Alex). He was predeceased by his wife, Angelina, and sons Antonio (Cita) and Ronald.

James was born on October 21, 1924, in San Fernando, California, to Cornelio Ramirez and Juana Montayre. He attended public schools up to fifth grade in Los Angeles, Pasadena, Ventura, and Carpenteria, in California. His father, in hopes of a better life than what they had in Depression-time America, took 11-year-old Jimmy and his younger sister, Diana, and returned to the Philippines, following a three-month ocean journey in the steerage section.

The family settled in Arayat, Pampanga, where James continued his schooling. He was a high-school student in Arayat Institute when Japan invaded the Philippines in World War II. During the Japanese occupation, he worked as a clerk-typist in the Office of the Mayor, Arayat Municipal Office. At the time his father, Cornelio, was the mayor. It was there that he first noticed Angelina, an elementary school teacher. “She had the most beautiful legs,” he recalled.

During the Japanese occupation of the Philippines. Filipino resistance fighters based in the mountains sometimes came to towns to punish people who collaborated with the Japanese. Known as Hukbalahaps – from “Hukbo Laban sa Hapon” or army against the Japanese – they suspected the mayor, Cornelio, to be a Japanese collaborator. In December 1943, the Hukbalahaps shot Cornelio in the market in broad daylight. When James arrived at the scene, his father was dead, lying in blood in the middle of a square. The person who most shared his grief and calmed his fury was Angelina. They got married soon after, on February 25, 1944, when James was only 19. By age 20, James had a son, James Jr., born on February 14, 1945.

James was an indefatigable provider for his family. During the Japanese occupation, he embarked on various ways of making a living. These included steering a boat up and down Pampanga River to barter clay pots for rice, working as a stevedore, and opening and operating a bookstore.

In search of better-paying and more-secure work, James enlisted as private in the Philippine Air Force. He worked his way up the ranks, becoming a second-lieutenant pilot, a fighter pilot, a pilot instructor, an intercept controller, and Chief Controller of the Philippine Air Force Air Defense Control Center, in Nichols Air Base.

However, Philippine Air Force salary could not keep up with his growing family. He resigned after 14 years of service, with the rank of Major, to join the flying operations of Andres Soriano y Cia. Now known as ANSCOR, it was a holding company with diversified investments in various islands in the Philippines, including mining and lumber. Shortly after, he was invited to join Air Manila, the third commercial airline to operate in the Philippines. The company went bankrupt in 1981, leaving James without any retirement benefits from that employment.

From 1981 to 1985, James engaged in the raising, buying, and selling of orchids. He got started while still a pilot with Air Manila. His international flights gave him opportunity to buy orchid seedlings in Bali, Bangkok, Hawaii, and Singapore.

In 1984-85, the Philippines was gripped by a deep recession. At the behest of his children, James reclaimed his US citizenship, which automatically conferred US citizenship to his children. James, Angelina, and their children began relocating in 1985. In the US, he and Angelina worked as Group Home Parents for American Catholic Charities. For a year, they served as foster parents of five Korean teenagers.

From there, James moved to a security officer job at Saint Elizabeth Hospital, in Washington, DC. Then, he and Angelina got another group-parenting job, taking care of five African American children ranging in age from infant to 16 years.

When he applied to be a bus driver for the Fairfax County Public Schools, the supervisor recommended instead the position of public-health attendant. He served in that capacity beginning in 1989, at Bush Hill Elementary School, assisting teachers of special-education students. He was a beloved employee, often receiving invitations to birthday parties, bar mitzvahs, and other children’s milestones including, sadly, a few funerals. He retired 18 years later, in 2007, at age 83.

James lost Angelina in 1996, when she succumbed to pancreatic cancer. From that time, he dedicated himself to the memory of his wife and service to the Catholic Church. He was active with the Legion of Mary until he could no longer drive. At St. Louis Catholic Church, he regularly participated in the Adoration of the Eucharist, signing up for the wee hours of the morning, when few others were willing to trek for the dark and sometimes-frigid early-morning slots.

For years, he visited the grave of Angelina every day, in Mount Comfort Cemetery, always with implements to polish the gravestone and tidy the surrounding grass. And always with a new candle to light Angelina’s spot so it was visible from the road at night.

He spent time reading, listening to music, and watching television, especially tennis matches, the Discovery Channel, and a series investigating aviation disasters. “Planes are so computerized now, no wonder they’re crashing,” he said. “Everything used to be done by pilots. Now, when something goes wrong because of the computers, the pilots don’t know what to do.” James, himself, was adept at “instrument flying” or manually controlling the airplane in flight.

He was always available as a babysitter. “Grandpa’s open-door policy encourages his daughters to rely on him for favors related to his grandchildren, whom he cares about very much,” Angelina once wrote. His family jokes that sometimes it seems the kids are the ones babysitting him.

Saturday nights were for mahjong. James looked forward to his children and grandchildren coming for dinner and mahjong sessions. He would jokingly hurry everyone up to finish eating and set the mahjong tables. “We’re wasting time,” he liked to say. He played until he had no more money. But when he was winning, he played until the others gave up trying to recoup their losses, which sometimes meant staying up until the next morning.

In the last decade of his life, James was hobbled by deteriorating eyesight and hearing. Despite his disabilities, he continued to live independently as much as he could, in the comfortable and spacious suite in the home of his son Joselito, to whom James was eternally grateful. Until age 98, he took his own medicines – which were lined up like cadets on his shelf – like clockwork. He prayed his daily novena for souls in purgatory in the morning and the rosary and divine mercy chaplet in the afternoon.

James is also survived by 10 children, 30 grandchildren, 21 great-grandchildren, and two great-great-grandchildren. More descendants are surely forthcoming. He will be missed by dozens of nieces and nephews around the world.

APPRECIATION

We’ve heard it often: It takes a village to raise a child. Likewise, it takes a community to care compassionately for the elderly and dying.

The life journey of James Montayre Ramirez was a master class in resilience, determination, and the just-do-it attitude. Until age 98, he was amazingly self-sufficient for someone almost blind and deaf. He took numerous medicines on time on a complicated schedule, made his own coffee, showered, prepared snacks, and performed myriad other everyday activities—by himself.

Until he fell. Twice.

In 2023 he was hospitalized after falling and then discharged to hospice care. As a family, we decided that our goal was to make Dad feel loved, safe, and comfortable for the rest of his life.

We thank Capital Caring Health for their gentle guidance and patient support as we embarked with hospice care. Dad received visits and loving care from Capital Caring doctor Elizabeth Phan, case manager Dusu Koromah (Dee), and nurse aide Aminata Kamara. Amy was a favorite of Dad’s, because she gave him bed baths twice a week. When Capital Caring Chaplain James Connor visited, he and Dad talked at length and prayed together. We were also supported by volunteer Maria Lewan, whose 2:30 PM Wednesday calls I had come to enjoy because of her cheerfulness and our mutual interests.

We agreed that someone should stay with Dad 24/7. That was a tough situation. It meant someone had to stay over every night. In the beginning, we had many volunteers—children, grandchildren, even great-grandchildren. As days turned to weeks and months, we had to find a more sustainable approach.

We thank the Virginia Department of Social Services for providing financial support that allowed us to recruit additional caregivers. Through Loving Angels Home Care, we engaged Eliseo Vargas, Rossi Ferrer, and Katty Bragazza as overnight caregivers. Eli, Rossi, and Katty cared for Dad as if he were their own father. They were like siblings to us.

Throughout, Dad was connected to the Catholic church. Priests from St. Louis Parish priests visited Dad, and the St. Louis Parish community regularly offered prayers for him. Dad received holy communion every two weeks through the kindness and service to God of St. Louis volunteer Princess Fermin. Dad also delighted in the visits of St. Louis parishioner Philip Cooper, whom Dad met through the Legion of Mary.

The Catholic church, hospice care, and home care made up the larger community that kept Dad feeling loved, safe, and comfortable.

Ultimately, it was Dad’s children and grandchildren who managed daily care. Most of Dad’s descendants in the U.S. helped with in one way or another. We are indebted to everyone who made it possible for Dad to have 24/7 company.

Among them, brother Mac and his wife, Janet, deserve the greatest appreciation. Especially Janet, whom Dad referred to as his “Secretary of State.” Dad was a part of the Harrison Lane household for almost three decades. As Dad aged, Mac and Janet were first in line to provide assistance. When Dad became bedridden, they bore the brunt of the incessant comings and goings of people attending to Dad at all hours of the day and night. Janet’s presence was especially critical, as she usually was the first one to know when something was not going right for Dad. Thank you, Janet and Mac, for always being there for Dad. Your constancy, generosity, openheartedness, and hospitality ensured that Dad felt loved, safe, and comfortable.

Finally, thank you St. Bernadette Catholic Church and Music Ministry, Father Jeb Donelan, and all who are celebrating with us the life of our amazing Dad. He lived a good long life. He will be forever in our hearts. We will be telling stories about him for years and years to come.

Ann Maureen Rouhi on behalf of the Ramirez Family