Helen Ramsey, Pioneer Daughter & Mother of Eight

Helen Louise O'Sullivan Ramsey, born in the farmhouse at Crystal on February 6, 1926 and died in the Cavalier Hospital on February 15th, 2013. She brought 8 of us into this world. She was a woman of deep conviction, great kindness, towering passions, keen intellect (She once scored 137 on an IQ test.), and unwavering moral sentiment. She was extroverted, outspoken, and fiery. She did not paint a picture of the world in pastel colors. She was very proud and independent. She was a loyal friend who enjoyed close friends in the community for 60 years. Her Roman Catholic faith was the center of her world view. She was a devout, practicing daughter of the church. Like so many decent, solid, middle class Irish Catholics, she was very conservative on most social issues, but was politically a staunch liberal and life-long Democrat. She advocated for women's rights and social justice for the poor, the forgotten and the dispossessed. I know that of all the children, I was the most like her, and we all know that the was a source of contention for us. She was a woman of fierce will, and it required that one not be faint of heart to contest her decisions. When she was failing in the hospital, and had agreed that she did not want artificial medical intervention, and once she stated that she had received the Sacraments from the priest, she was ready to go, if necessary. If necessary. She was still worried about Doug, and meals to be prepared. She was worried about administering her farm. She would have taken that trip the following week to the Southwest as planned, if she could. She could not. Her journey here was coming to an end. She was called home by Jesus, and she is in a better place. What amazed me was she knew she was going but her courage and even cheerfulness in the face of the coming end did not seem to faze her in the least. I only hope that her offspring will emulate her fearlessness. Mom had a good life and a strong marriage, but it was not always easy for her. She had Mike to care for on top of everything else. She went back and got her degree and master's degree in remedial education probably less for reasons of ideology (feminism, etc.) than for a very real need to bring in a second income for a large family of limited means. We lived much better after she did work as a teacher. Dad would buy a new pickup for his long drives to work in another county, but I believe she is the one that bought us new cars. Her energy level and work ethic were huge. She was preparing meals at holiday time for family members coming home, well into her late 80s. I called her last spring in about March, and she said she was just about done spring cleaning. She canned 800 to 1,000 quarts of vegetables and fruits to get us through the winter. They raised and butchered turkeys for protein. She would serve a quart of Juneberries after supper in the winter as our dessert, and it was delicious. She would work the night shift as a LPN and then get up and care for young daughters. The cooking and laundry were endless. She would bake twenty loaves of bread on Saturday. We would enjoy coming home from the hay field to enjoy cinnamon rolls and real butter before supper on a Saturday night. Mom cherished education and using one's mind. Every evening for an hour or two, she had her quiet time when she loved to read. We were all instilled by her and Dad with a love of learning, and the need to pursue intellectual queries undertaken for their own sake. We could, in high school, stay out of school for two weeks to drive a potato truck in the harvest (Spending money was hard to come by and that is how I bought my graduation suit.), but then Doug and I had to get right back to school. She was the one that laid this law down, not Dad. We were very active in the church and being at Mass every Sunday morning was not an option, but a duty. She never openly stated a policy of mandatory attendance; it was just understood. I admired her strength of character. She lost her father when she was 12. She grew up in the dirty 30s and lived through World War II. Marriage and family were her life, but she never, never shirked from taking care of the people and things needing taking care of. Thanks, Mom for all that you gave us. I just hope and pray that we do half as well.