Thomas Joseph Ramsey

Thom is survived by his wife of 44 years, Margaretha Ramsey (van Woudenbergh), son Michael Ramsey, daughter Patricia (Gill) Ramsey and her husband Matthew Gill, grandsons Alex and Thijs Gill, and a loving extended family from Ohio, Italy and the Netherlands. Thom was a loving father, husband, grandfather, and a loyal friend to a great many people across the world.

He was born in Akron, Ohio, the youngest son to Kathryn and Ernest Ramsey, and brother to William Ramsey. He attended Springfield high school and spent summers working on railroads and steel mills before enrolling in Miami University of Ohio, in Oxford, OH, where he studied political science and pre-medical chemistry and zoology. He was deployed to Vietnam in 1968 and served with distinction in the US Army until 1971. There he flew in aerial reconnaissance aircraft as a photographer, and like many other service members was exposed to Agent Orange, which likely contributed to five primary cancers later in his life.

Following the end of his military career, Thom continued his education in law and government; he received his Juris Doctor from Ohio State University College of Law, and in 1973 traveled to Amsterdam to follow a legal course in European integration. It was there that he met the love of his life, Margaretha ‘Marry’ van Woudenbergh, whom he married in 1975. He finished his studies in the Netherlands, obtaining a graduate diploma from the University of Amsterdam in community law, and later attended the Hague Academy of International Law.

His career in public service began as Assistant Attorney General for the State of Ohio, before moving to the Washington D.C. area in 1975, where he served as an official with the US Department of State, in the Department’s Office of the Legal Adviser. His last assignment in civil service was as Deputy US Coordinator and Deputy Bureau Director for International Communications and Information Policy, a position that carried the rank of Deputy Assistant Secretary of State.

Eventually, Thom settled into private practice, and in 1988 he joined Squire, Sanders & Dempsey (now Squire Patton Boggs) as a partner, before moving with his family to Brussels, Belgium in 1991, where he became one of the architects of the firm’s global expansion in the 1990s. Drawing on his experience as a telecommunications specialist at the U.S. Department of State, he recognized the unique opportunities presented by the liberalization of the EU’s telecoms regulatory regime and the growing market demands of the newly emerging democracies of Central and Eastern Europe. During his career, he represented a broad array of public and private sector clients in Europe, Asia, Africa, the Americas, and the Middle East.

In 2008, Thom and Marry decided to make their vacation home in Marco Island, Florida, their permanent place of residence. Retirement never crossed Thom’s mind; over his last few years, through illness, he co-founded a business consultancy firm, the Anglo-American Group, studied for a new career in mediation law, and mentored students in Immokalee, Florida.

Thom was a bold globetrotter, aided by a tireless and adventurous spirit. His understanding of world affairs, cultures, politics, and history eclipsed most others and his desire to share his knowledge was what drew others to him. He was considered a caring mentor and inspiration to many people throughout his life, and his empathetic, upbeat personality was his most defining trait; he respected and loved people of all stripes and backgrounds and often made those who disagreed with his views his closest friends.

He was a man of profound optimism and love for his family whom he valued above all else. He lived a life of love, curiosity, enthusiasm, and adventure, and retained his intrepid imagination until the very end.

He will be sorely missed.

Thom will be buried at Arlington National Cemetery, with a date yet to be decided. There will be a celebration of life held at the same time in Washington D.C. In lieu of flowers, Thom’s family kindly asks for a donation to National Public Radio, of which Thom was an avid listener.

https://www.npr.org/about-npr/628389224/donate-to-public-radio