 West Hill Cemetery Sherman, Texas  Charles McKay Ramsay 31 March 1917 - 22 July 1985 Hilda Y. Talton Ramsay 3 August 1926 - 15 June 2011  The Herald Democrat June 19, 2011 Hilda Ramsay, long-time Sherman resident who served in state offices for both the Texas Silver-Haired Legislature and the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP), died this past week. She was 84. Mrs. Ramsay's achievements were various and numerous. She and her husband, Rev. Charles McKay Ramsay, moved to Sherman in 1955 where he joined the faculty of Austin College. Meanwhile, she stayed active in raising the couple's children, the third of whom was born in Sherman in 1958, and taking part in Parent Teacher Association activities and church and volunteer work. In the mid-1960s, when she was nearing 40, she decided to complete her work toward a bachelor's degree in English, begun in the mid-1940s. She did so in 1967, proceeding to teach in both the Sadler and Sherman school districts, and was later named outstanding teacher of the year in Sherman for 1977-1978. She also received her Master's degree in English history from Austin College in 1970. Still, much of her notable work was yet to come. Upon retiring as a public school teacher in 1982, she became a member of the local AARP chaper, serving as its treasurer in 1984 and president in 1985 and 1986. Remaining a local officer throughout the decade, in 1989 she was named assistant state director of the Texas AARP and later became associate state director. In 1990 she was elected to the first of multiple terms in the Texas Silver-Haired Legislature, working with the Texas Department on Aging Citizens Advisory Council as an advocate for senior citizens. She was also a member of the Texas Department of Human Services Regional Advisory Steering Committee. Mrs. Ramsay also found time to keep her hand in working on such projects as Habitat for Humanity, MHMR, the local literacy program, March of Dimes, Sherman Police Academy, and as a nursing home ombudsman for the Texoma Area Agency on Aging. She was a member of the Sherman Garden Club and acted in plays at Finley Playhouse. Always active in her church work, she was ordained as a Ruling Elder at Grand Avenue Presbyterian Church in 1985, and became a preaching elder, holding a pulpit post in Pottsboro. Among numerous awards for her work, she received the American Association of University Women's Woman of Achievement honor in 1995 ceremonies held at Austin College. Born in Durham, North Carolina, on August 3, 1926, she was the third and youngest child of Emma and William Talton. As a youth she danced in the local ballet company and dreamed of getting a college education that no one else in her family had ever had. She married Charles McKay Ramsay, at the time a PhD candidate in Theology at Duke University, in 1946. The couple lived in Parkville, Missouri and Greensboro, North Carolina, before moving to Sherman. Mrs. Ramsay died on Wednesday, She is survived by 2 sons, Charles Jr. and Christopher. She was preceded in death by her daughter Carol. Funeral services were held at Grand Avenue Presbyterian Church on Saturday, June 24, 2011 with Rev. Lander Bethel officiating. Burial was in West Hill Cemetery with Dannel Funeral Home in charge of arrangements. Pallbearers were Charles McKay Ramsay, Jr., Christopher Malcolm Ramsay, Charles McKay Ramsay III, Mark Andrew Ramsay, Dr. Tom Nuckols, Rev. John Purcell; honorary pallbearer was Mrs. Pat Phillips. West Hill Cemetery Susan Hawkins © 2024 If you find any of Grayson County TXGenWeb links inoperable, please send me a message. |