Ruben was born on August 5th, 1931 in Praxedis G. Guerrero, Chihuahua, Mexico to Benito and Maria (Fernandez) Ramirez. He grew up there and married Juana Maria Ortiz there on June 11, 1953. In 1950, Ruben traveled to the United States and started doing agricultural work through the Bracero Program, in which the US government contracted men from Mexico to work on farms and railroads. He was a Bracero for four years until he & Juana Maria began living in Denver City, Texas and traveled back and forth from Texas to Colorado for years doing more agricultural work. They settled in Johnstown permanently in 1964 and Ruben continued to work on different farms in the area, mostly driving tractors and other agricultural equipment, until eventually retiring in 1993.
He will be remembered as a fun-loving and hard-working man who loved driving (especially his bright yellow scooter, which he drove around Johnstown for the past few years), building and fixing things around the house, working on his yard and spending time with his large family.
He is survived by his wife Juana Maria Ramirez of Johnstown, sister Manuela (Felipe) Perez of Greeley, brother Raul Ramirez of Johnstown, his son Robert (Nellie) Ramirez of Johnstown, his daughter Yolanda (Nicolas) Ramirez of Milliken, son-in-law Pablo Garcia of Milliken, as well as 12 grandchildren, 28 great-grandchildren, and two great-great-grandchildren. He is preceded in death by his daughter Rosa Garcia, granddaughter Roxanne Bustos, grandson Juan Manuel Mendez, his sisters Maria Rivera and Evangelina Holguin, and brothers Raymundo Nevel and Edwardo Ramirez.
Visitation will be held from 4-6 pm on Sunday April 24th at Allnutt Funeral Home in Greeley with Recitation of the Rosary to begin at 6 pm. The funeral will be held on Monday April 25th at 11 am at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in Johnstown. Burial to follow at the Johnstown Cemetery.
