Florence Ramsay

FLORENCE RAMSAY

Cedar Rapids

Florence Charnock Van Winkle Ramsay, 101, of Cedar Rapids, died peacefully at home on Sunday, Aug. 22, 2021.

Florence was born on Feb. 1, 1920, the daughter of Dr. Howard Van Winkle and Florence Bailey Van Winkle. Her mother died several days after she was born, so Florence spent her first eight months in

St. Luke's Hospital, cared for by the nurses. She then moved to New Jersey where she was raised by her grandmother and aunt. When Florence was 5 years old her father remarried and sent for her to return to Cedar Rapids. Unable to bear being separated, her grandmother and aunt moved with her.

Florence attended Buchanan Elementary School, McKinley Junior High School, old Washington High School and Coe College, where she majored in music and sang in the choir. All her life she maintained friendships with the people she'd met in the Coe Music Department.

She taught school in Alta Vista, Iowa, for one year after graduation and then went off to New York City with her good friend to "seek her fortune." After several jobs, she became music director for eight schools in Long Island. While living in Bayshore, Long Island at a boarding house for teachers, she became acquainted with Joanie Ramsay, a ten-year-old who lived across the street. Joanie begged Florence to give her piano lessons. In time, this led to Joanie inviting Florence over for dinner with her and her widowed father, Don Ramsay. His British accent and his painting on the kitchen floor of a teapot with musical notes rising out of the spout, convinced her that she should continue seeing him. Around 1948 Florence returned to Cedar Rapids to care for her ailing grandmother. Soon after, Don and Joanie joined her and they were married in November of that year.

Florence taught music in Norway, Iowa, and then enrolled at the University of Iowa to get her English teaching degree. She taught language arts at Roosevelt Jr. High School for many years. After retirement, she enjoyed teaching English as a Second Language for Kirkwood Community College until she was 85 years old.

Music, poetry, literature, grammar and studying languages were her passions. She directed the quartet for Temple Judah for 36 years, sang in a madrigal group and in the First Presbyterian Church choir under the direction of her beloved professor Paul Ray and organist Eleanor Taylor. She was a member of the Beethoven Club and the Shakespeare Club for many years, as was her grandmother before her. She even recited poetry to herself at night instead of counting sheep! She never lost her enthusiasm for these lifelong passions.

Florence loved traveling to Europe, making new friends and putting her language studies to use. She supported distant friends and family with her graceful letters.

She was sustained by many longterm friendships from her music groups, her teaching friends and from her neighborhood. In her mid-seventies, she joined Curves, which turned out to be the spark that enhanced the rest of her life. She became fast friends with a group of women who regularly met for exercise, coffee and birthday lunches.

Florence was preceded in death by her parents; her brother, Howard; her sisters, Beth and Marjorie; her

son-in-law, Erv Russell; husband, Don; and her longtime friend, Charles Opatrny.

Left to cherish memories of Florence are her two daughters, Sharon Ramsay and Jennifer (Neil) Kacena and her step-daughter, Joan Russell; grand children, Adam (Julie) Nazette, Andrew (Ashley) Nazette, Mark and Drew Kacena, Chris Miles and Jonathan (Joan) Miles; as well as four great-grandchildren, Ryan, Brandon, Tyler and Arthur; and five nieces and nephews.

As per Florence's wishes, a memorial will not be held.