Obituaries 

Beverly Ausmus Ramsey

Mills Custom Wood Floors

On April 3, 2020, Beverly Sue Ausmus Ramsey, Ph.D. passed away peacefully at her home in Woodsboro, Maryland. Beverly Sue Ausmus was born in Fort Worth, Texas on October 26, 1947 to Charles and Helen (Davis) Ausmus. Her father was a Baptist minister who moved the family to Knoxville, Tennessee where Beverly was raised to adulthood. She is survived by her husband of 28 years, Robert Wilbur Ramsey, Jr., her love, companion, and collaborator. She is also survived by his five children, nine grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren.

Over the course of her lifetime, Dr. Ramsey passionately pursued many interests. Her creative interests encompassed photography and drawing which often reflected her appreciation for the beauty and bounty of Mother nature. Passionate about her Native American heritage, Beverly was a connoisseur and steward of the culture, art, and craft of the American Indian tribes.

Beverly earned her Bachelor of Science Degree in 1969 from Carson-Newman University, and her Masters and Doctorate degrees from the University of Tennessee in 1973. She began her 51-year career as a research scientist and ended it as a member of faculty and mentor to graduate students pursuing degrees in environmental sciences, policy, and management. Beverly’s professional accomplishments are many. During her career, Beverly held several supervisory positions with responsibility for evaluating and reducing risk and devoted her expertise to improving the condition of environmental health for many communities. She created and managed environmental management and compliance programs for Oak Ridge and Los Alamos National Laboratories. In 2000, while serving at Los Alamos, she helped to lead the Labs emergency response to the devastating Cerro Grande fire. Prior to retirement in 2018, she served as Executive Director, Division of Earth & Ecosystems Sciences, Desert Research Institute at the University of Nevada, Reno.

Beverly is remembered by enumerable friends and colleagues as a loving, tough-minded, multi-talented friend and mentor. Her family expresses gratitude to her network of dear friends and colleagues, especially Laura Hofman, and to her care givers at the Frederick Health System. A private family service will be held at her home in Woodsboro, Maryland. Shared memories posted to Legacy.com are encouraged. Memorial contributions in honor of Beverly can be made in her name to the Native American Rights Fund.

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