Kenneth Faris Ramage, 90, of the Asbury Community, passed away June 14, 2024, at the Palmetto Patriot’s Home in Gaffney, South Carolina.
Born on January 12, 1934, Ken was born in Vandergriff, Pennsylvania. He was the devoted husband of Lynda (Sanders) Ramage and the son of the late Edgar and Fern Ramage of Ohio. His wife survives Ken, and he leaves four daughters, and six granddaughters.
Ken has lived at the Palmetto Patriot’s Home for the past two years. There, he made many friends, both with fellow residents and staff members. He especially enjoyed Poker Days.
Ken’s family moved to Ohio when he was in the seventh grade. He graduated high school in Coshocton, Ohio, and earned both a Bachelor’s degree in Physics and a second Bachelor’s Degree in Mathematics from Otterbein College.
He also attended Ohio State University for postgraduate work. After his academic studies, Ken joined the United States Army. While in military service and stationed at Fort Knox, Kentucky, and Fort Hood, Texas, Ken was awarded Sharp Shooter classification medals and served as a member of the Military Police Force.
After his military service concluded, Ken began employment with Rockwell International.
He retired from Rockwell as a distinguished service professional. During his years at Rockwell, he was the program manager for the Brimstone Missile Program, a cooperative development initiative with Marconi, Ltd. in England. During this employment period, he was responsible for the overall direction of program planning, expectations, and control of Brimstone.
Due to his extensive expertise, some of his other employment duties included total responsibility for systems engineering tasks associated with the Hellfire Missile, an instrument used in Operation Desert Storm. He also conducted additional missile testing at Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, and Elgin Air Force Base, Florida.
Ken was an extremely well-rounded individual.
He was an avid tennis player and won many tournaments in both singles and doubles categories. He was also a member of the Atlanta League Tennis Association (ALTA) member for many years. Ken was a fan of the Atlanta Braves and the Ohio State University football team, and enjoyed cheering them on. Other activities included his love for reading, and playing card and board games. He greatly enjoyed playing golf and loved boating and skiing.
Ken was an Eatonton First United Methodist Church member and their men’s club. Ken had a great interest in genealogy and enthusiastically explored his lineage, producing a printed book of his findings. In addition, he was a wonderful helper to his wife and greatly assisted her when entertaining their friends at various events at their bespoke and historically appointed homes and gardens.
Together, they owned and operated the Rosewood Bed and Breakfast on North Madison Avenue for eleven years. Ken was called “Peaches” by some of his cohorts in mischief.
He always felt that this nickname was an honor.
Additionally, Ken was a curious traveler and enjoyed local, regional, national, and international travel destinations. In his special way, Ken’s sense of humor was one of the most delightful and outstanding qualities of his level and always pleasant personality.
He never met a stranger and was a dedicated and committed friend to many individuals he touched during his rich and fulfilled life.
A memorial service is scheduled for July 18th at 10:00 a.m. at the Palmetto Patriot’s Home in Gaffney, South Carolina.