More detail on this person: Details provided to
MGL from Brian Foote on 23 Jan 2011 as
follows:
MARSH RAMEY COLONEL US ARMY, RET 1936 -
2009 "NEVER LET A DAY GO BY THAT YOU
DON'T TELL SOMEONE "THANK YOU, I LOVE
YOU OR I FORGIVE YOU' THESE WERE THE
WORDS BY WHCH MARSH LIVED UNTIL HIS
PASSING ON AUGUST 6, 2009. COLONEL
RAMEY PASSED AWAY FROM COMPLICATIONS
ASSOCIATED WITH AGENT ORANGE. HE WILL
BE BURIED WITH FULL MILITARY HONORS.
FINAL VIEWING WILL BE HELD AT THE ALDEN-
WAGGONER FUNERAL CHAPEL ON TUESDAY,
AUGUST 11, 2009, FROM 5-7 P.M. MARSH WAS
BORN IN COTTONWOOD, IDAHO ON
SEPTEMBER 10, 1936, SON OF RON RAMEY
AND MARCELLA CALDWELL. AT THE AGE OF
THREE, HIS PARENTS MOVED TO BOISE
WHERE MARSH ATTENDED HIS SCHOOL
YEARS, GRADUATING FROM BOISE HIGH
SCHOOL IN 1954. DURING HIS YEARS IN BOISE,
HE ACTIVELY PARTICIPATED IN SPORTS, ROTC
AND SCHOOL POLITICS. HE LOVED FISHING,
GOLFING AND CLASSIC AUTOMOBILES. HIS
FAVORITE CAR WAS HIS 1942 'DECKED'
PURPLE PLYMOUTH ROADSTER. MARSH
ATTENDED IDAHO STATE COLLEGE IN
POCATELLO AND GRADUATED IN 1959 WITH A
BACHELOR OF SCIENCE DEGREE IN
PHARMACY. HE WAS DESIGNATED AN ROTC
DISTINGUISHED MILITARY GRADUATE AND
ENTERED THE UNITED STATES ARMY AS A
SECOND LIEUTENANT. HE RETIRED IN 1982
AFTER 23 YEARS OF SERVICE AND ATTAINED
THE RANK OF FULL COLONEL. HE ATTENDED
THE ARMY HELICOPTER SCHOOL IN 1959 AND
SERVED TWO HELICOPTER TOURS IN SOUTH
VIETNAM. HE ACQUIRED OVER 4000 HOURS OF
HELICOPTER FLIGHT TIME AND WAS QUALIFIED
TO FLY EVERY TYPE OF HELICOPTER THE
ARMY HAD AT THAT TIME. HE HAS BEEN
AWARDED THE DISTINGUISHED FLYING
CROSS, BRONZE STAR WITH OAK LEAF
CLUSTER AND 29 AIR MEDALS FOR HIS
SERVICE IN SOUTH VIETNAM. HE HAS
RECENTLY BEEN AWARDED THE ARMY
AVIATION ASSOCIATION ORDER OF ST.
MICHAEL MEDAL AND HAS BEEN NOMINATED
TO THE ARMY AVIATION HALL OF FAME. IN
1970 HE WAS SELECTED TO BE PART OF AN
ELITE TASK FORCE IN WASHINGTON, D.C. TO
DESIGN THE ARMY'S NEW ATTACK
HELICOPTER, RESULTING IN TODAY'S AH-64
APACHE-LONGBOW HELICOPTER.
ADDITIONALLY, WHILE STATIONED IN
WASHINGTON, D.C. IN 1980, HE WAS
INSTRUMENTAL IN FORMING THE SPECIAL
OPERATIONS HELICOPTER UNIT THAT TODAY
IS NAMED "NIGHT STALKERS". AFTER
RETIREMENT FROM THE MILITARY, MARSH
JOINED HUGHES AIRCRAFT COMPANY IN LOS
ANGELES, CALIF. AND SPENT THE NEXT 17
YEARS DEVELOPING INTERNATIONAL
BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES INVOLVING
INFRARED PILOTAGE AND TARGETING
SENSORS FOR BOTH MANNED AND
UNMANNED AERIAL PLATFORMS. MARSH IS
SURVIVED BY HIS PARENTS, RON AND
MARCELLA RAMEY, HIS WIFE ANN (FORMERLY
WILLOUGHBY BERGEY), HIS SON RYAN
(PATTY) AND GRAND-DAUGHTERS KENDALL
AND LEAH OF DENVER, COLO., THREE
NEPHEWS LANCE DAVIS AND DAUGHTERS
SUMER AND KAYSHA, DARREN (DAVALEE)
DAVIS AND SONS TYLER AND TREVOR AND
CORY (VALERIE) GASKELL OF BOISE. FOUR
STEP-SONS, RIC BERGEY FIX AND DAUGHTER
RIKKI, TIM BERGEY AND DAUGHTER KIM AND
SON ANDREW, JOE (CHRIS) AND SONS
MICHAEL AND MATTHEW OF BOISE, DAN
(CATHY) AND DAUGHTERS DANI, ALYSSA AND
HEATHER OF SPEARFISH, SD. HE WAS
PRECEEDED IN DEATH BY HIS SISTER KAY
GASKELL. MARSH LOVED LIFE TO THE
FULLEST AND ALL THE CHALLENGES IT
BROUGHT WITH IT. HE OFTEN REMARKED
"PEOPLE ARE YOUR MOST PRECIOUS
COMMODITY, DON'T ABUSE THIS GIFT". HE
LEAVES BEHIND MANY FRIENDS AND
ACQUAINTENCES, INCLUDING THREE MILITARY
COMRADES LISTED ON THE VIETNAM
MEMORIAL WALL IN WASHINGTON, D.C.
MARSH WILL BE BURIED AT THE IDAHO STATE
VETERANS CEMETERY WITH FULL MILITARY
HONORS. HIS FAMILY INVITES YOU TO JOIN
THEM IN A "CELEBRATION OF LIFE" AT THE
SECOND BAPTIST CHURCH AT 10375 W.
OVERLAND, BOISE ON WEDNESDAY, AUGUST
12, 2009, COMMENCING AT 10:30 A.M. ANY
CONTRIBUTIONS SHOULD BE MADE TO THE
PARKINSON'S DISEASE NATIONAL
FOUNDATION.
Published in Idaho Statesman on August 9, 2009
This information was last updated 05/18/2016
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