Obituary

Thomas Riley Ramsdell, born June 1, 1947, in Providence, RI passed away in Mesa, surrounded by his children and grandchildren, on June 7, 2023, at the age of 76.

Tom spent his childhood in West Warwick, RI. He was preceded in death much too soon by his loving parents, WWII veteran and decorated Navy pilot Lt. Richard  L. Ramsdell, Dorothy Riley Ramsdell, a pediatric nurse, and his young artistic sister Carolyn. These untimely deaths shaped Tom and his surviving siblings in many ways, and was a heartache he carried with him throughout his life while always looking for ways to honor their memories.

Tom was a proud veteran who served in the Army from 1967-1971, stationed in Germany. He enjoyed telling stories of his time in the military (only those unclassified tales of course) and had many great adventures skiing the Alps and traveling throughout Europe.

After his military service, Tom moved to Denver to attend the University of Colorado where he majored in Political Science, met the love of his life, Mary Heath, and had their first child, Jeremy. They moved to Kansas to be close to Mary’s parents and that is where his daughters, Carolyn and Kielly, were born. They returned to Colorado in 1981 and Tom began a successful career in homebuilding where he took trade skills learned in Kansas combined with his leadership and team building abilities and applied them to a profession he loved. In 1987, Tom’s career brought his family to Arizona where he continued to build homes. For 13 years, Tom served as President of Country Walk Homes where he led the development of several communities in Chandler, Casa Grande, and Pinal County. Professionally, nothing brought Tom more joy than opening the doors of homeownership to families while also inspiring his colleagues, co-workers, and business associates to be the best they could be. This is also where he met his dear friend, Steve Miller, whom he admired and respected tremendously.

Some of Tom’s favorite memories were of times spent in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado camping and skiing with his family, golfing with friends in Arizona, tending to his gardens, and visiting his family in Rhode Island where he treasured moments like fishing in Narragansett Bay, catching blue crabs, eating stuffies, and just enjoying time spent and lots of laughter with his brother, sister, cousins, and their families.

Tom was passionate about giving back to the community and dedicated his free time to serve in many ways including as a board member and volunteer for Against Abuse where he worked with a team of dedicated individuals to build shelters for women and children escaping domestic violence. Tom also volunteered for the Pinal County Veterans Memorial Foundation, Pinal County Republicans’s Club, Pinal County Merit Commission, and the Casa Grande Elementary School District Board.

He is survived by his son Jeremy (Carmen) and his two daughters Carolyn (Mike) and, Kielly (Tim); his five grandchildren who he loved immensely and was so proud of Ricky, Bryan, Matt, Owen, and Sophie; his wife of more than 45 years Mary; his sister Laura (Steve), brother Peter (Denise), nieces Erin and Emily, and many cousins. Tom’s booming voice, kind heart, and sometimes inappropriate sense of humor will be missed by all who knew and loved him.

A celebration of life will be held at a later date. For information about the services please email carolyn.ramsdell@gmail.com.

In lieu of flowers, to honor Tom’s memory please spend a day volunteering for a local organization or donate to one of the causes he was most passionate about.

Against Abuse

https://www.against-abuse.org/component/content/article/94-donations

Pinal County Veterans Memorial

https://pcvmf.com/