Sammy Ramos

Sammy Ramos

Sammy Ramos passed away on Sunday, June 14, 2015. He was born in Wharton, Texas, on Aug. 20, 1950. He had lived in Albuquerque, for the last 21 years after serving 20 years in the U.S. Navy which took him to many places all over the world. He served in the U.S. Army from November 1969-January 1972, during which he served in Vietnam, and served in the Navy July 1976-May 1994. The MIA had a very special place in his heart. His second career was for the U.S. Postal Service Rural Delivery in the Albuquerque south valley. He loved football and many other sports, but most of all he loved his family.
Sammy was one of the last active-duty sailors stationed at Kirtland Air Force Base in the early 90s in Albuquerque. He was a member of the Fleet Reserve Association. There, he met his wife Janice, a bartender by night and postal relief carrier by day. Shortly thereafter during his last year serving in the Navy, they were married. He had to spend his last year at Great Lakes, Ill., so Janice was left the task of planning their wedding. Once Sammy retired in 1994, he returned to Albuquerque to start the next chapter of his life with Janice.
The following year in 1995 Carly, their baby girl, was born. Sammy was so proud of his little Carly, which gave him the willpower to stop smoking after his 35-year habit. Fortunately Sammy was able to spend a great deal of his time raising his baby girl. He made sure she was introduced to softball, starting her in T-ball. Sammy had a gift for coaching and coached Carly in softball for as long as his health would allow him. His most heartfelt moment of coaching her was when their team won the state championship for 9-10 year olds. Sammy took a very active part in participating in Carly’s academic education, as well as supporting her immensely during her cheerleading years, all the way up to her four years of cheerleading at Eldorado. He never missed, a game, event, meeting or banquet.
In the fall of 2007, Sammy was sent home from work because he was turning blue while loading his postal vehicle. This began his long battle with pulmonary hypertension which required his use of oxygen 24/7. This was always something he strongly hated and made him dream of the day he would receive a lung transplant which would free him. For eight years Sammy’s doctors would tell him to “keep trying to get on the transplant list,” and just when Sammy would believe he had passed medical tests to be placed on the list, another issue or barrier would get in the way of his spot. The excuses would start as “he is not sick enough," all the way to “he is too sick.” It was a terrible roller coaster he and his family had to go through.
On May 3, 2015, the horrible time had come when his family had no choice but to call an ambulance. At that time, he was placed into the Medical ICU at UNM where doctors reported that his heart was “on its last leg.” From there, they put him on medication to keep his heart going just long enough for his friends and family to say their goodbyes. When the time came to take the drugs off, he once again beat the odds and continued to hold on. He continued to live on for days, then weeks when he was expected to only last hours or days. There are no words to describe his will to live and fight. Although he was so strong, God decided to take him. It is comforting to his family that he no longer has to struggle and is now free.