Betty Ramsay

Betty Louise Ramsay of Winchester, Virginia, passed away peacefully on Sunday, February 23, 2025 at her residence in Westminster Canterbury in Winchester. She was 93.

Betty was born in Port Huron, Michigan on October 15, 1931. She attended Port Huron Community College and the University of Michigan, and also completed coursework at Wayne State University in meeting the needs of handicapped children.

Betty married Michigan native David Ramsay in 1952, and together they raised three children: son Christopher, and daughters Karen and Julie.

Betty and Dave faced adversity early in their marriage when their first child Christopher was born totally blind. At the time, there were few available public resources for blind children – and limited educational options – so the couple started the first pre-school for the blind in their Michigan community. Chris would later receive an undergraduate and graduate degree from the College of William and Mary, and spend his career working for the U.S. Customs Service.

After leaving Michigan, Betty and Dave settled in Annandale, Virginia, moved later to Reston – and, following Dave’s retirement from the government, to Hillsboro, Virginia. While raising her three children, Betty taught for several years as a substitute teacher in the Fairfax County Public Schools, and for ten years directed a daycare center for children ages 2-5 in Fairfax. For eight years, she owned and operated a Diet Center in Leesburg.

In 1990, Dave and Betty moved from Virginia to Shepherdstown, West Virginia, where they lived until Dave’s death in 2015. In Shepherdstown, they were active in the community as members of Trinity Episcopal Church; volunteers for Meals on Wheels; and volunteer caregivers, assisting those in need in their homes and transporting them to appointments. Betty also worked for 15 years in the Trinity Episcopal Thrift Shop and served for two terms on the church Vestry Committee.

During their 62-year marriage, Betty and Dave enjoyed traveling throughout the United States, Canada and Europe; exercising; and spending time with family and friends.

After Dave’s death, Betty moved into Westminster Canterbury in Winchester, where she lived the remainder of her life.

Betty is survived by daughter Karen Kimble and her husband Cary of Winchester; by daughter Julie Russell of Syracuse, New York; by six grandchildren – Jeb and Michael Kimble, Ramsay Russell, William Russell, Elizabeth Ramsay, and David Ramsay – and by nine great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by husband David Ramsay, son Christopher Ramsay, and son-in-law William Russell.

A memorial ceremony will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, March 8, at Westminster Canterbury, with a reception to follow. A private memorial service will be held at a later date at Trinity Episcopal Church in Shepherdstown, West Virginia.

In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be sent to the Westminster Canterbury Employee Appreciation Fund, 300 Westminster Canterbury Drive, Winchester, VA 22602; or Blue Ridge Hospice, 333 W. Cork Street #405, Winchester VA 22601; or Trinity Episcopal Church, P.O. Box 308, Shepherdstown, WV 25443.