Janet Ramsay

Nothing brought Janet Ramsay more joy than being surrounded by those she loved. Her life was rich with the blessing of family with whom she was ever proud, and she would not have wanted it any other way. Janet enlightened all with her caring and kind nature, and with selfless resolve, she placed the needs of others before her own. A hard working woman, Janet raised her family, worked outside the home and would do anything for those she loved. Her infectious giggle will be remembered fondly, and the spirit of her loving heart will continue to be a constant reminder of a woman well loved.

Janet’s story began on December 18, 1938. Born in the small, rural community of Shirley, Indiana, Janet was the daughter of Gerald Alton and Mabel (Harris) Wright. While her birth brought much hope and promise to the Wright family, the year of Janet’s birth overflowed with mixed blessings in America. While the U.S made great economic strides following the hardships of the Great Depression, an unwelcome recession found unemployment rates once again reaching drastic levels. The struggles of this generation found relief from everyday worries enjoying the sounds of jazz. Superman made his debut in the comic strips, and movie greats filled the big screen. Having been raised in the Methodist faith, Janet’s father worked at Delco Remy building electronics for cars while her mother worked at a local tomato factory all while raising their large family.

The second youngest of nine children, Janet attended the area schools and had her share of chores at home. From her earliest years, she was taught to pitch in and help with whatever needed to be done which came to serve her well throughout life. During her childhood news of the day included the travesties of World War II and small towns like Shirley were affected just the same. Her family lived meagerly with so many mouths to feed, and much like all younger children from large families, Janet no less received all the hand-me-downs from her older sisters.

At the young age of 16, Janet’s life changed in a new and exciting way when she married Ralph Eugene Ramsay on January 9, 1955 at the Christian Church in Knightstown, Indiana. They had known one another through Janet’s father, and although they both had been dating others and broke off those relationships, Janet and Gene ended up being each other’s “rebound”, and clearly hit it off remarkably well! Gene was such a nice young fellow that Janet always maintained her parents loved Gene more than her! The newlyweds first moved to North Webster, Indiana where they lived for a time in the two room, Shangri-La and Peter Pan cottages on the Webster Lake. While Gene enjoyed living on the lake for the fishing, Janet was less than thrilled. For extra income, Janet cleaned the Martin’s cottages for work.

In 1956, Janet and Gene began a family of their own with the birth of Cynthia. Arlene followed in 1957, and Chris in 1958. Bret completed their family in 1959. It was also during this time when they moved their family to Kendallville when Gene landed a better job working for Kraft Foods. Over the years, Janet also added to their household income working in a floral shop, P&N Hirch Five & Dime Store and for Courier. Janet especially loved working at the Five & Dime as it enabled her to take the kids to JC Penney to buy them new clothes which made her feel very proud!

Janet and Gene didn’t have much money yet they considered themselves rich with love and family experiences. Fun-filled family vacations were usually spent camping to destinations such as trips to Spring Mills, Mona Pago, Michigan, Mammoth Cave, Tamarack Falls, Pokagon State Park, Atwood Shores, and Buck Lake Ranch. She loved gardening and planting flowers, particularly marigolds. Janet planted marigolds everywhere! The trellis in her backyard was meaningful to Janet as her father had built it and each year it was full of roses. Among the many flowers Janet liked, she loved lilacs. She loved getting starters off of her mother’s peony plants in Shirley, Indiana and she’d give them out to all her family. As a matter of fact, everyone still has them growing to this day. As a couple, Janet and Gene were both avid ballroom dancers and they even took dance lessons together. Quite a pair, they absolutely loved dancing together. Riding around together in the old 1946 Chevy pickup truck of her fathers that Gene restored three times was always fun and their 1964 Thunderbird was her favorite. In her spare time, Janet loved working on crossword puzzles, watching game shows and her soap operas like The Young and the Restless and All My Children. When it came to music, a few of her favorite singers included the likes of Andy Williams, Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, and Tom Jones.

With a knack for baking and cooking, Janet never hesitated to do so with her grandkids. And every year during Christmastime, the ladies in the family got together and would bake tons of cookies and candies. In fact, one of Janet’s requests was that this tradition would continue on long after she was gone. A few of Janet’s specialties included her famous peanut butter fudge which was the best. And just as delicious were her sugar cream pies, hot milk cakes, and her boiled apple dumplings boiled in syrup were scrumptious! Her grandchildren remember that Janet made the best macaroni and cheese from spaghetti noodles and American cheese slices. Ironically, she didn’t care much for the Kraft mac and cheese, so she made her own! From meager beginnings, Janet knew well how to improvise from scratch; she could really stretch a dollar and she learned to do most things on a shoestring budget.

The heart of Janet Ramsay knew no limits. She loved completely and fully at every opportunity, and in return she considered herself truly blessed. Always concerned about others, Janet was a natural worry wart. Her heart’s desire was to see everyone she loved happy, and she placed her family above all else. For those who knew and loved her, Janet will be forever missed.

Janet Marie Ramsay, age 78, of Kendallville, died Thursday, September 28, 2017 at Parkview Noble Hospital in Kendallville. She was preceded in death by her husband, Gene on October 16, 2014; siblings: Mary Lou McDaniel, Eugene Wright, Betty Delph, Byron Wright, and Vivian Jordan. Janet was a devoted wife, mother, and homemaker. Survivors include: her daughters, Cynthia Nesbitt of Auburn and Arlene and Kevin Roberts of Kendallville; her sons, Chris and Cheryl Ramsay of Kendallville; Bret Ramsay of Kendallville; 11 grandchildren including: Angela and Chris Jansen, Nicolette and Zachary Benedict, Jeramiah and Kristen Roberts, Holly and Joe Smith, Ryan Ramsay, Melissa and Courtney Fuller, Kate Nesbitt and her fiancé, Adam Hart, Nicole and Gary Masters, Taylor Ramsay and his fiancé, Taylor Likes, Austin Ramsay, and Justin Ramsay; 16 great-grandchildren; .her siblings: Robert Wright of Greenfield, Indiana, Emogene “Jeannie” Collier of New Castle, Indiana, Beverly Messick of Rim Rock, Arizona.

Funeral services for Janet will be held Monday, October 2, 2017 at Hite Funeral Home in Kendallville. Visitation will be from 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM with the funeral service following at 12:00 noon with Pastor Bret Frymier officiating. Gene and Janet’s 1946 Chevy pickup truck will take her to Lake View Cemetery in Kendallville for burial with her grandsons carrying her casket. Share a memory online at www.hitefuneralhome.com.Arrangements entrusted Hite Funeral Home of Kendallville.