Obituaries

Hilda Yvonne Talton Ramsay 84 of Sherman Texas ended her long and beautiful life on this earth and passed peacefully into the presence of the Lord Almighty on June 15 2011. She was 84 years old. Hilda was born August 3 1926 in Durham North Carolina the third and youngest child of Emma and William Talton. As a youth she danced in the local ballet company and dreamed of getting the college education that no one else in her family had ever had. Hilda started to fulfill that dream by entering Duke University in 1943. She studied Theology and English Literature the two passions that would follow her throughout the rest of her life. While at Duke she met and fell in love with the man that would become her husband of 39 years Rev. Charles McKay Ramsay who at the time was a PhD candidate in Theology at Duke. After their marriage in June 1946 Hilda put her Bachelor"s Degree on hold temporarily and moved with her new husband to Parkville Missouri where she continued to take classes for her Bachelor"s Degree at Park College. Their first child Carol Yvonne was born in there in 1949. Their second child Charles McKay Jr. was born in Greensboro North Carolina in 1952. In 1955 they moved to Sherman Texas where her husband had become a Professor of Christian Ethics and Theology at Austin College. Their third child Christopher Malcolm was born in Sherman in 1958. After Chris had entered Elementary School Hilda"s yearning for education returned with the added desire to become a High School English teacher. In 1967 she completed the final requirements for her Bachelor"s Degree from Park College. She then proceeded to earn a Master"s Degree in English History from Austin College in 1970. Hilda then accepted a position teaching English at Sherman High School (SHS) where she remained until her retirement in 1982. During her career at SHS she was an extremely popular teacher. One of her specialty subjects was Shakespearean Literature where she had the gift of making the characters of his plays literally come alive through acting them out in the classroom. She also taught Advanced Placement English. Many former students recall Hilda"s classes at SHS as the highpoint of their high school education. Throughout her adult life Hilda was very active in community and church volunteer work. In the 1960"s she was an active participant in integrating the Church Women United chapter in Sherman volunteered with the Crippled Children"s Center and was a member of the Sherman Garden Club. During the 1970"s she acted in many amateur plays at the Finley Playhouse in Sherman including Harvey where she played the lead. After her husband"s death in 1985 she was ordained as a Ruling Elder at Grand Avenue Presbyterian church and served many terms on the Session and various Pastor Nominating Committees. She also became a "Preaching Elder" and filled the pulpit that her husband had held in Pottsboro TX. She was a very active member of AARP and rose to the office of Associate State Administrator for Texas. She was elected to multiple terms in the Texas Silver-Haired Legislature in Austin. She also served as a registered Nursing Home Ombudsman for the Texoma Area Agency on Aging. Hilda is survived by her sons Charles McKay Ramsay Jr. and wife Maureen of Dallas and Christopher Malcolm Ramsay and wife Judy of Pearland, grandsons Charles McKay Ramsay III and wife Laura of Fort Worth and Mark Andrew Ramsay of Crowley, 4 step-grandchildren and many great-grandchildren. She is preceded in death by her husband Rev. Charles McKay Ramsay PhD and daughter Carol Ramsay Lockett and her sisters Virginia Boling and Inez Shepherd. The funeral arrangements are under the direction of Dannel Funeral Home Sherman TX. Visitation will be at the funeral home Sherman TX 6:30 pm Friday June 24th. The funeral will be at Grand Avenue Presbyterian Church Sherman TX 10am Saturday June 25th with Rev. Lander Bethel presiding. Burial at West Hill Cemetery will take place immediately following services. Pallbearers will be Charles McKay Ramsey Jr. Christopher Malcolm Ramsay Charles McKay Ramsay III Mark Andrew Ramsay Dr. Tom Nuckols Rev. John Purcell, and honorary pallbearer will be Mrs. Pat Phillips. In lieu of flowers the family requests that donations in memory of Hilda be made to the general scholarship fund of Austin College 900 N. Grand Sherman Texas 75090 or to Grace Presbyterian Village 550 E. Ann Arbor Dallas Texas 75216. You may sign the online guestbook at www.dannelfuneralhome.com.