Joy Ramsey

Joy Chapoton Ramsey, loving wife of Dr. Jack D. Ramsey, died peacefully at her home on August 25, following a lengthy, debilitating illness. Joy was born in Dallas, Texas, March 9, 1932. Her father, Otis Byron Chapoton, was a bank examiner who moved his family to Galveston when Joy was an infant. Joy attended Ball High School in Galveston and Mary Baldwin College in Staunton, Virginia. She graduated from the University of Texas in 1953 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English. She was a member of Kappa Alpha Theta sorority.

Joy was a teacher at the Trinity Episcopal Kindergarten School in Galveston where she met University of Texas medical student, Jack. They married in June 1955. Over the next five years, Jack and Joy lived in Galveston, where their three sons David, John and Chap were born. The family moved to Columbus, Ohio in 1960, where Jack served two years as a captain in the USAF Medical Corp.

In 1962, Joy and Jack moved to Abilene, where Jack joined his brother, Wayne, and Dr. Vardeman Schultz in the practice of radiology. They became members of the Episcopal Church of Heavenly Rest, where Joy served as Acolyte Mother and taught Sunday school and Vacation Bible School.

In the early years of living in Abilene, Joy became an avid skeet shooter and a member of the five lady World Championship Skeet Team. In one year, during the height of her skeet shooting days, she shot over 20,000 rounds of shells.

In 1972, Joy gave birth to her fourth child, daughter Lauren. As a mother, her most coveted title was that of “No Frills Mom,” bestowed on her by her son John, due to her tendency toward flying planes and shooting skeet rather than baking desserts.

A woman of many talents, Joy took up flying, earned her instrument and multi-engine ratings, and accumulated over 2,500 hours of flying time. She also rode motorcycles for a while until her husband decided she was an accident waiting to happen. One of her favorites memories was the look on her son Chap’s face, when she arrived to pick him up at his elementary school on a motorcycle.

Joy was active in community organizations. She served as President of the Junior League of Abilene, President of the Cotillion Club, President of the Philharmonic Association, and Ball Chairman for the that association on two different occasions. She was also designated the Philharmonic’s Grande Dame.

As her close friend, Dian Stai, stated on many occasions, her parents chose the perfect name for her. She was the epitome of “Joy.”

She was preceded in death by her parents, Otis Byron Chapoton and Grace Donaldson Chapoton Wayman. Joy is survived by her husband of 64 years, her four children, Jack David Jr. and wife Mary Boetcher, John Donaldson and wife Melinda, Wayne Chapoton and wife Susan, and Lauren Elizabeth Suttle and husband John. She is also survived by six grandchildren – Jack Wayne Ramsey, Liam Robert Ramsey, Connor Chapoton Ramsey, Grace Elizabeth Ramsey, William Ramsey Suttle, and Kenna Davison Suttle, her brothers, Buck Chapoton and wife Sally, and Don Chapoton and wife Mary Jo. Nieces and nephews include Bush Ramsey, Jackie Ramsey Cox and husband Bart Cox, John Chapoton, Clare Chapoton Anderson, Kelley Chapoton Young and husband Donnie, and Hunt Chapoton and their families.

The memorial service will be held on Sunday, September 8 at 4:00pm at the Church of the Heavenly Rest, 602 Meander Street, Abilene, Texas.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Rescue the Animals, 5933 S 1st Street, Abilene, Texas 79605, the Church of the Heavenly Rest, or the charity of your choice.