Mrs. Nanette Gay (Killam) Ramsey, of Manchester-by-the-Sea, died peacefully, September 1, at her home after a valiant battle with numerous health challenges from a stroke in 2015.
Born in Beverly, she was the daughter of the late Dwight Edgar and Nanette Ann (Soucey) Killam. A life-long member of the Manchester community, she was raised and educated in Manchester and was a member of the class of 1969. She continued her education at Duke University, graduating with a bachelor’s degree in Nursing in 1973.
Mrs. Ramsey, who preferred to be called by her middle name, was a dedicated and caring health care professional. She began her nursing career at the Strong Memorial hospital in Rochester, NY, where she worked in Intensive Care and Coronary Care. After just 2 years, Gay returned to the North Shore and started at Beverly Hospital, continuing in ICU and CCU and then working in maternity, labor and delivery, and the newborn nursery. Most recently, she served as the school nurse at Winthrop Elementary School in Ipswich until the time of her retirement.
Gay was devoted to her faith and family. She was a member of the Second Congregational Church in Beverly for the last 40 years, volunteering for decades with the youth group and participating in the Church’s women’s group. She was also a member of the Christian Education Board for many years. She was a Gold Award Girl Scout and stayed active in scouting in various ways over the years. Gay was a fantastic knitter, crafter and seamstress, sewing all of the costumes for her children’s ballet recitals, school plays and church Christmas pageants. She also had a deep passion for music all of her life. As a young woman and member of a J.C. Power and Light, a Christian Singing group at Duke University, it was music that allowed her to meet her beloved husband, Charles. She passed along her love of music to her children as there was always music playing in her home. Gay was kind, loving, generous and deeply compassionate. She will be deeply missed by so many.
Gay is survived by her recent husband Edwin T. Holmes, her loving daughter, the Reverend Heather Ramsey Mabrouk and her husband Nawfal of Manchester, her son, Charles E. Ramsey of Manchester and his fiancé Barbara Baggs of Beverly, her brother, Keith Killam of Randolph, her sister, Elaine Chouinard and her husband Donald of California, and several nieces and nephews. She was the sister of the late Wayne Killam and devoted wife of the late Charles F. Ramsey, Jr.
A private burial in Pleasant Grove Cemetery in Manchester. A Church Memorial Service will held at a later date when it is safe for the whole community to gather indoors. In lieu of flowers, expressions of sympathy may be made in Gay’s memory to Casa San Jose c/o Second Congregational Church of Beverly, 35 Conant St., Beverly, MA 01915 or to Bright Happy Power, 49 North Main St, Ipswich, MA 01938 or the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation (www.jdrf.org).
