Virginia Ellen Fleetwood Ramey, 101, of Lincoln passed away July 25, 2018. Born June 9, 1917 in Wakefield, Nebraska to Edward John Fleetwood, MD and Inez Elizabeth Hultquist. She attended Prescott Elementary, Irving Junior High, and Lincoln High school. She received her Bachelors of Fine Arts (BFA) from University of Nebraska 1939 where she was a member of Kappa Alpha Theta Sorority.
Virginia worked as a graphic artist for numerous department stores including Carson, Pirie, Scott in Chicago IL, Hahne and Co in Montclair NJ, and J. Braggs in Lincoln NE, drawing and laying out advertisements for the newspaper.
From 1958 to 1960 Virginia worked as a Technical Illustrator for General Dynamics/Convair Corp in Pomona CA which was building the Atlas rocket for NASAs space program at the time. Virginia designed Nebraska themed needle point art for 12 chairs for the Nebraska Governor’s Mansion for a project with her good friend Diane Oldfather.
Virginia was the youngest of four Fleetwood girls. All four girls were delivered by their father, Dr. E.J.Fleetwood, the town physician in Wakefield. The family moved to Lincoln when Virginia was about 5 years old. From her sleeping porch on Ryon’s street she saw planes taking off and landing from the airport in south Lincoln where Charles Lindbergh was learning to fly. In 1942, Virginia married Robert Ramey, her college sweetheart, who played center on the Cornhuskers 1940 team. Upon graduation the couple moved to Chicago. While in Chicago, Virginia and her husband who worked for the airline, witnessed the first plane to take off from Chicago bound for Africa. The couple then moved to Montclair NJ where their son Robert was born. Robert graduated from Annapolis and served in the U.S. Navy. Virginia’s husband died in 1970, and her son died in 2013.
Virginia has been a member of First-Plymouth Church from childhood.
Family members include grandchildren, Megan Percival and Antony Cobb (Burlington VT), Kyle Ramey (Los Angeles, CA), and Cameron Ramey (Denver CO), great granddaughter Evangeline Percival Cobb (Burlington VT) and daughter in law, Elizabeth Percival Ramey (Burlington VT).
Virginia’s family is grateful for the loving care she received from many caregivers at the Landing, at Tabitha’s Cove House, and by Home Instead in Lincoln.
Virginia will be buried alongside of her husband at Wyuka Cemetery in Lincoln.
A memorial service will be held at a later date.