Bonita Pender “Bo” Ramsey

Garner - Bonita Pender “Bo” Ramsey entered into the arms of our Lord on December 14, 2014. She passed away peacefully at home following a year long battle with ALS, Lou Gehrig’s disease. She was born January 23, 1949, in Rocky Mount, NC. Her ancestry was from the Pender family in Eastern NC, particularly her great-great grandfather, Solomon Pender, who founded the town of Tarboro, NC. Her cousin (4th generation back), NC General William Dorsey Pender fought at Gettysburg under General Lee. Her father was Gaston Lewis Pender, who was raised in Hobgood, NC. Her mother was Kathryn Pender Oyler, who was from Pennsylvania. The two married and had a beautiful baby girl “Bo”. When Bo was barely 3, her Daddy died and she and her mother moved to Pennsylvania. Her mother remarried in 1960 to Guy Jack Oyler, who was from Gettysburg, PA. Bo was raised in Gettysburg and loved growing up there. She had relatives on both sides of the Civil War and her parents built a home on the Battlefield, a few hundred yards from Pickett’s Charge and the North Carolina Monument. After graduation from Gettysburg High School in 1967, Bo attended college at NC Wesleyan College in Rocky Mount, to be near her Granny Pender. She earned 2 Bachelor’s Degrees from NCWC, a B.A. in Spanish, and B.A. in English. She also did graduate work in Psychology at Penn State University. After college, she lived in St. Petersburg, FL, and worked as a Social Worker for the State of Florida. Later, she taught high school in Lancaster, PA., and sold Real Estate there. Bo and Dennis were married in 1981, had their first son in 1982 and moved to Garner, NC in 1983. They lived in Greenbrier Estates, which always held a special place in Bo’s heart. Bo and Dennis later decided to build a home and live in The Village at Aversboro, a very happy, friendly, and supportive neighborhood and she loved it there. Bo was a Legend in local real estate for over 30 years most recently with RE/MAX United. She loved her customers and they usually became like family to her. Always on call, Bo worked, night and day, to provide them with superior service. Bo was predeceased by her father, mother, and stepfather. Surviving are her husband, Dennis, their two sons, Captain Benjamin Ramsey, PhD, USAF with wife Mary, and Thomas Ramsey with wife Sarah and six wonderful grandchildren, Evan, Alex, Emily, Sarah, Jack, and Lilly. She loved her husband, sons and her grandchildren with all her heart. Also, special to Bo were her best friend, Carolyn, and all her roomies from college. Bo was known for being sweet, friendly, kind, and generous to her family, friends and customers. The service to celebrate Bo’s life will be held on January 3, 2015 at 2:00 PM at St. Andrews United Methodist Church in Garner. The family will receive friends immediately following the service. In lieu of flowers, the family would like for consideration to be given for a donation to either the Jim “Catfish” Hunter Chapter of the ALS ASSOCIATION or Transitions Life Care (Hospice) of Wake County.