Judge Ronald Ramsey helped create city of Stonecrest and believed in second chances
Ronald Ramsey was always trying to lift up people on the margins of society, whether as a judge, a mentor, an attorney, a family member or a fraternity brother.
“As a judge, he was fair and he meted out justice, but he gave people second chances to get their lives together,” said Democratic gubernatorial candidate Michael Thurmond. The two met when Thurmond was Georgia’s labor commissioner and Ramsey was a state senator from DeKalb County. “He was the ultimate public servant, so committed to serving and helping people.”
Ronald B. Ramsey Sr. died on Sept. 25 at his Stonecrest home, surrounded by his family. He had been living with a cancer diagnosis for about 10 years, according to his son Ronald Ramsey Jr. He was 66.
Born in Salisbury, North Carolina, Ramsey was the older son of Margaret Lola Ramsey McClelland. He finished historic R.A. Clement School in Cleveland before attending North Carolina Central University.
After graduating with honors in 1981, he headed to Atlanta, with its many job possibilities, his son said. There, Ramsey found a position with the National Labor Relations Board as an investigator and hearings officer, and he also attended John Marshall Law School at night.
In the early 1980s, a Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity brother introduced Ramsey to Doris Carrington, whom he married in 1985. They were married 40 years and had two children.
Admitted to the Georgia Bar in 1992, Ramsey joined the legal team of the National Labor Relations Board and worked in that capacity for two years. During that time, he became a certified mediator and started an 18-year-long tenure with the Justice Center of Atlanta. In the mid-1990s, Ramsey held different jobs focused on labor relations, including with the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office.
“He believed in restorative justice,” says Thurmond. “He was a dedicated Kappa man, and he represents the best of our fraternity.”
In 2000, Ramsey became the first African American municipal court judge in Stone Mountain while also maintaining a legal practice, working in mediation and helming the legal office for DeKalb County School District.
In 2007, Ramsey was elected to the Georgia State Senate and is remembered for having introduced legislation to create the city of Stonecrest in southeast DeKalb County. He was active in the Georgia Legislative Black Caucus.
“Ron was an excellent state senator,” said U.S. Congressman Hank Johnson, who met Ramsey while he was serving the DeKalb Board of Education. “And he truly loved being a judge.”
In 2015, then-Gov. Nathan Deal appointed Ramsey to the DeKalb County State Court as an associate judge working in the traffic division. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he helped create virtual proceedings and advocated strongly for a new courthouse.
Lithonia resident and state Rep. Doreen Carter sent her children to an early learning center the Ramseys had opened, so she knew Ron slightly. He recruited her to run for the Georgia House. When she was elected, she says he would “check on me and see how things were going. He answered all my questions, and he was always so kind and thoughtful.”
“People have told me that my dad saved their life or their children’s lives by giving them a second chance,” says Ronald Ramsey Jr. “He created initiatives to prevent recidivism. I know he liked mentoring young lawyers and young judges as well.”
When not working, Ronald Ramsey enjoyed “most anything on the water,” his son says. The family enjoyed trips to Orange Beach, Alabama, and to the Ellijay Apple Festival and Blue Ridge. Doris and he enjoyed traveling — as a baby, Ronald Jr., says, he accompanied his parents on a trip to Europe. Ramsey was an avid fan of both the University of Georgia Bulldogs and the Atlanta Falcons.
In addition to his wife and son, Ramsey is survived by his sister Denise Houpe, his brother Michael McClelland, his daughter Christyn Ramsey-Major, a granddaughter and numerous other family members. The public is invited to his funeral service on Friday, Oct.3, 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. at Springfield Baptist Church in Conyers. Anyone interested in making a memorial may do so to City of Hope Cancer Treatment Center Atlanta in Newnan.
