Anita Pursley Ramsey
December 19, 1929 - August 31, 2022

Mrs. Anita Pursley Ramsey passed away with her beloved daughter, Cherry, at her side, on Wednesday, August 31st, 2022 at 8:45am. She died at Nyack Hospital where she unexpectedly spent the last four weeks of her life. Her love of life was always evident, and especially demonstrated by her valiant fight until the last moments of this existence.

This determination and fight was exhibited all throughout her 92 years, most notably in the face of the unimaginable pain of losing her two sons, Leonard Maurice Ramsey (1950-1987) and Richard Jerome Ramsey (1951-2004). While nothing can compare to the suffering of burying one’s child, Mrs. Ramsey modeled just what is possible as a strong and devoted woman of faith.

Her faith ran deep, and as a devout Christian, she allowed it to guide her in every realm - from family, to work, and beyond. She could often be found in conversation with the Lord, reading her bible, attending church services or participating in prayer groups. In her final hours, her faith and her family brought her solace.

Mrs. Ramsey was born in Kensington, Georgia, to Murdice and Joseph Pursley. The oldest of four daughters and one son, she naturally served as the matriarch of the family. In 1949, she married Calvin Ramsey (1927-2020) and in 1957, she migrated with her three children from Chattanooga, TN to Rockland County, NY.

There, she spent more than three decades serving as a nurse’s aid at Rockland Psychiatric Center. She and Calvin ran a soul food restaurant, The Denver House, outside the gates of Rockland Psych, providing a delicious connection to home for the Black community who worked at the psychiatric center. During her tenure at Rockland Psych, Mrs. Ramsey helped to form the Rockland Federal Credit Union, where she served as a board member for five years.

Upon retiring in 1990, she opened Anita’s Childcare, right from her home in Nanuet, NY. And still after the close of that business, she welcomed two sets of foster children into her family, providing care and love as if they were her own. The number of children across generations whose lives Mrs. Ramsey touched is hard to fathom.

Sharing love and spending time together as a family were paramount to Mrs. Ramsey. The importance she placed on these actions was demonstrated by her consistent phone calls to loved ones, her invitation to stay just a little longer, even after a lengthy visit to her home, and her call to action to her family: to have honest and frank dialogue with one another, no matter how difficult it may be.

True to those values, although she and her husband Calvin separated in 1987, they remained a part of each other’s lives until his passing in 2020. She lived on her own for many years, and had an open door policy to those in need. In her final years, she found companionship in friends, neighbors, and her dog Barry.

Mrs. Ramsey took pride in healing estranged relationships and the personal growth she underwent to do so. Throughout the pandemic, she connected with friends and family around the world, learning how to use text messaging, facebook and zoom. She was also a fan of TikTok.

Remarkably, Mrs. Ramsey was able to live on her own, despite limited mobility, and thanks to the care of many in-home aids and her daughter and granddaughter Priya. She could always count on and treasured weekly visits, debates, and laughs with her dear friend Odessa, and many others, too. She woke up every day with joy and a spark to become physically stronger so she could see her grandchildren and great-grandchildren grow up. Affectionately known as “Granny,” her greatest joy was witnessing their continued development, creating memories with them, and making them laugh.

Today, her legacy is sure to be continued by those she is survived by: Sisters Jane Blue and Katie Bush, brother William Sonny McDaniel (spouse, Brenda McDaniel); Daughter, Charlotte (Cherry) Ramsey (spouse, Shekar Gunaseharan); granddaughters, Angelique Ramsey, Angela Ramsey, Maya Gunaseharan (spouse, Ryan Potoff), Priya Gunaseharan, Rebekah Ramsey; grandsons, Christian Ramsey, Shawn Ramsey; great-grand-daughters, Izabella Chom, Savannah, and one on the way; great grandson, Myles Ramsey Potoff; daughter-in-law, Juanita Ramsey, and many beloved nieces, nephews and cousins.

In lieu of flowers, the family graciously requests that you donate in the “Memory of Anita P. Ramsey” to the Smithsonian Institution/NMAAHC (Attention: Dr. Cynthia Jacobs Carter, P.O. Box 418320, Boston, MA 02241-8320).