Ellen Heflin Ramsey
Ellen Ramsey Obituary
Ellen Heflin Ramsey, born September 5, 1942 in Richmond, Virginia, died October 6, 2025, in Davidson, North Carolina. She is survived by her son, Harmon Scott Ramsey, daughter-in-law Laura Cunningham, and grandchildren, Will and Ginny of Arlington, Virginia; her nephew Leo Heflin and his mother Sonia Rincon-Heflin; her nephew David Ramsey (Jeri) and family of Charlotte, North Carolina; her niece, Elizabeth Ramsey Kirk (Rick) and family of Clarksville, Tennessee; beloved family Dot Apperson of Richmond, Virginia, Lucy Apperson Poole (Angel) and family of Accomack County, Virginia, Chris Apperson and family of Charleston, West Virginia; and other beloved family in the Ramsey, Heflin, Apperson, and Simmerman families. She was predeceased by her brother, Joseph, and her beloved husband, George.
Ellen was the youngest child of Aubrey and Ellen Heflin of Richmond, and was a proud graduate of Thomas Jefferson High School and Salem College. From her early childhood, she was raised in the faith at Grace Covenant Presbyterian Church. A history major at Salem, Ellen’s vocation was library science, and she took pride and joy in serving as a children’s librarian, in Ottawa, Canada, and then in Clinton, South Carolina, on the campus of the Thornwell Home for Children. Ellen was a friend and mentor to generations of young readers, earning her Masters Degree in Media Studies from the University of South Carolina.
Ellen met George in Richmond, and they married on August 7, 1965, beginning 56 years of loving marriage, full of tender affection and genuine partnership. After living in Canada for 3 years, they moved to Clinton in 1968, and lived there until 2003. She was a devoted mother to Scott and a proud grandmother to Will and Ginny, and was blessed with lifelong friends from Richmond, Montreat, Salem, Clinton, and Davidson.
From her childhood, Ellen spent much of every summer in the mountains of Montreat, North Carolina, a community dear to her heart. Into her final days, she delighted in singing the “Montreat song.” George and Ellen moved to Montreat full-time in 2003, and lived there until they moved to The Pines at Davidson in 2011. Ellen’s infectious smiles, laughter, and generous appreciation of others were legendary. She truly believed “there are no strangers, only friends we haven’t met.”
Her family is grateful to the staff and community at The Pines who became her extended family in her final years.
Memorial gifts may be made in Ellen’s memory to:
The Pines at Davidson Chaplaincy Fund
400 Avinger Lane
Davidson, NC 28036
https://thepinesatdavidson.org/foundation/donate-online/
OR
Montreat Conference Center
PO Box 969
Montreat, NC 28757
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