Elaine Sigrid Perdue Ramsey's Obituary
Elaine is with our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Elaine s deep faith carried her through many health crises, including two recent strokes and over 30 surgeries beginning at age fifteen.
Elaine taught fifth and sixth grade classes for 34 years at Washington, Birney, and Whitman Elementary schools in Tacoma. She graduated with honors from Stadium High in 1958, then earned teaching certification at University of Puget Sound in 1963. Elaine was a double major in Education and Dramatics. Her interest included the Puget Sound Debate team that participated in the National Debate Championship Tournament in Enid, Oklahoma. She was loyal to Alpha Phi and a sports booster of the Logger Club at Puget Sound. Elaine and Jerry held all sports season tickets to UPS athletic events for over thirty years. Even in her wheelchair, Elaine missed very few football or basketball games.
Elaine was the only daughter of Paul and Helen Perdue. Both were employed by the University of Puget Sound, owned and operated Perdue Hardware and Camera Shop. Paul was an elected member of the Tacoma City Council. The family enjoyed many weekend and holiday vacations aboard Paul’s custom 33’ Helaine power yacht. They loved to visit the many Puget Sound harbors, parks, and the seaways to Canada as members of the fictional “Hooligan Yacht Club.” The HYC flew a burgee displaying a skull with a Daffodil and crossbones. The daffodil was Elaine’s idea!
When Elaine was a young child she knew teaching was for her. During summers Elaine organized the neighborhood kids to play ‘school’ on the front porch steps. Her Cocker Spaniel, “Wiggles” was in her play-school class. She even assigned homework the kids, some actually did the assignment for their summer “teacher.” When a Mountain Beaver died in her yard, Elaine organized a funeral for the animal. Her summer play-school students became the pall bearers.
At Washington Elementary school, Elaine taught her class about elections in great detail. Students role-played voters, campaigners, election auditors, and voting booth operators, and more. Her work was recognized across the Tacoma School District as truly innovative curriculum. Her idea expanded to several other schools. Her student “auditor” was interviewed by a radio station reporting on the presidential election.
Elaine was a life-long member of the United Methodist Church, taught Sunday School at First United Methodist Church, in the historic old building at Fifth and K Street where Tacoma General Hospital is located. She married Jerry V. Ramsey there after a four-year courtship that gave him time to meet her requirements. Elaine’s marriage demands required Jerry earn a college degree, a teaching contact, a better car, and a place to live. They were married on the 24th of June, and their first date was on the 24th of February, moved into their first apartment on the June 24th. Jerry’s birthday is July 24th, Add Christmas Eve, Thanksgiving, a brother’s birthday, and the 24th became an important marker for the couple every month. Nearly every month they celebrated their special day with Hot Chocolate and Onion Rings to remember how poor they were in 1967.
After 31 years, Elaine retired from teaching. The couple traveled to London, Paris, Rome, Florence, Mexico City, Cabo San Lucas, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil,
Juneau, Skagway, Honolulu, Maui, Hilo, Kauai, Lahina, and Yukon. Road trips took them to every large city in Canada, all but three states, nearly all national parks and most state capitols.
Elaine cruised with Alpha Phi completely around the world on the “Queen Mary.” Together Elaine and Jerry cruised on the Mississippi, the Columbia, the Inside Passage, the Pacific to Hawaii, and through the Panama canal. Using three time-share properties they vacationed in resorts in British Columbia, Florida, Missouri, Arizona, Idaho, Nevada, Washington, and Mexico.
Elaine volunteered at Fort Nisqually Living History Museum in Point Defiance Park to hel the Fort Nisqually Foundation.. She helped write some history after becoming an official Archivist at the British Columbia Archives Museum. She wrote and published a detailed essay on the visit of Governor
Simpson of the Hudson Bay Company in the late 1840s, including Simpson’s assessment of the value of HBC properties south of the border. That bit of history helps to understand why Puget Sound is American, not British territory.
Elaine also wrote her grandfather’s biography from notes he left hidden in an attic. That book, “Well Done, Good and Faithful Servant” can be found in every Methodist Church library in the Pacific Northwest, and some public and university libraries.
Elaine gave birth to Jason Perdue Ramsey on July 24, 1973. He graduated from Stadium High school in June, 1993, attended Emerson College in Boston on a generous honors scholarship to study script writing. At age 23, in October 1996, Jason went missing. Elaine is survived by two cousins and Jerry, her best friend and devoted husband of 52 + years.
Announcements of Elaine’s memorial services and internment will be made by Mt View Memorial Park Cemetery in Lakewood and Weatherly Inn.
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