Ramona M. Wright

A true blessing in every sense of the word, Ramona Wright was a delightful woman to know and love. Her children would agree that as mothers go they had the very best as she considered it both her highest calling and greatest gift to care for the children she was given. Known as “GG”, Ramona was a firm believer in the notion that grandchildren are for spoiling, and she had a way of making each of these precious children feel like they were the most important person in the world. She had a heart that seemed to know no bounds and a loving spirit that accepted everyone for who they were. Life will never be the same without Ramona here, but the legacy she leaves behind is one that provides us with much to aspire for.

As part of the vibrant decade that became known as the Roaring Twenties, 1922 was a great year to be an American. This was the year that the Wrigley Building was completed in Chicago, the Lincoln Memorial was dedicated in Washington, D.C., and with the radio as the lifeline of the day’s news there were over 500 commercial radio stations in operation. This was a year to remember for a certain couple from Battle Creek, Michigan, since they were overjoyed with the birth of a healthy baby girl on August 13th. Ramona was welcomed into the arms of her loving parents, Laurence and Hazel (Loveland) Murray, and was the oldest of four children in her family including her brother, Bud, and twins, Janet and David. Her father worked as a salesman for Jewel Tea, a grocery truck that went door to door, and he also sold other goods and did some farming as well. In addition to caring for her family, Ramona’s mother worked in the kitchen for Battle Creek Schools. Ramona was 13 years old when her twin siblings were born so she came alongside her mother in helping raise them, instilling within her a nurturing spirit. For her education Ramona attended Mattawan schools including Mattawan High School where she excelled in basketball.

Not long after graduating from high school in 1940, new and exciting changes were in store for Ramona. Deeply in love with a classmate named Daniel Moyle, she became his wife on April 25, 1941, marking the beginning of a new chapter in a love story that would span more than 30 years. Together they were blessed with five children: Linda, Mary Kay, Dan, David, and Dick. Daniel was a member of the Kalamazoo County Posse, now known as the Mounted Division, and much of the Moyle family’s time was spent with other families who were affiliated with this group. Ramona fully immersed herself into caring for her children, and they never wanted for anything. She was a fantastic cook whose every dish was amazing, but her cream puffs were second to none.

Life was forever changed for Ramona with the death of Daniel in 1975. She began working at Gantos, a women’s clothing store, and she travelled extensively, too, including to California and Hawaii. As the years went by she had various friends and family members try to introduce her to other men, but she fully intended to remain single. In fact, she would even joke that she didn’t want another man’s whiskers in her sink or any of his stinky socks to wash. Little did she know that she would come to eat those words a bit down the road!

As fate would have it, a longtime family friend, Giles Wright, also said goodbye to his wife. Ramona and Poppy, as he was known to some, would find companionship in one another and began spending a lot of time together. They were best friends throughout life and even stood up for each other when they got married as young people. Their friendship eventually blossomed into a deep love and they married July 10, 1994. Since they had always been close family friends, her five children and their families and his four children and their families easily blended into one big family. They always celebrated Christmas together with a huge gathering each year.

Family was always a cornerstone in Ramona’s life. When she became a grandmother, she couldn’t have been happier, and her grandchildren all knew that she kept the cookies in a low drawer so they were easily accessible to them. Ramona deeply loved each and every one of her grandchildren and had a way of making them feel that they were special in their own way. She and Giles enjoyed going to Florida in the winter, but when they were in Michigan they lived and worked at Oak Shores Resort on 28th Street in Vicksburg. This worked out great for them because it is owned by Giles’s son, Warren. Ramona and Giles liked the group of people at the resort and always had so much fun there.

Although there was nothing more important to Ramona than her family, she enjoyed a few other things as well. She was a country music fan and when her children were younger, they always had pizza on Saturday night and watched Rem Wall. Ramona was a member of Mattawan Community Church and enjoyed meeting with a group of ladies for a coffee club from Mattawan. Her favorite place to be was at home, especially with her loved ones, although she did enjoy eating out. Those who knew Ramona were well aware of her love affair with chocolate – so much so that when the nurse asked her what she would enjoy for one of her meals not long before she died it was chocolate that she dined on. She was a collector of many things including salt and pepper shakers, clowns, ornate tea cups, and thimbles, too.

In everything she did, Ramona Wright brought such warmth and beauty to the world around her. She deeply loved others and never had a bad thing to say about anyone. Ramona will be deeply missed.

Ramona M. Wright died on March 15, 2011. Ramona’s family includes her husband, Giles Wright, of Vicksburg; five children: Linda (Jerry) Schuring, of Vicksburg; Mary Kay (Donald, Sr.) Boven, of Mattawan; Dan (Barbara) Moyle, of Mattawan; David Moyle, of Kalamazoo; Dick (Sharon) Moyle, of Vicksburg; four step-children: Jo Ann (Kevin) Barker, of Kalamazoo; Warren (Janet) Wright, of Vicksburg; Tom (Karen) Wright, of Otsego; Susie (Russell) Russ, of Lawrence ; 14 grandchildren; 8 step-grandchildren; 24 great-grandchildren, 18 step-great-grandchildren, 2 great-great-grandchildren, and 7 step-great-great-grandchildren; three siblings: Bud Murray, of CA; Janet Phelps, of FL; and David (Helene) Murray, of FL; and many nieces and nephews. Ramona was preceded in death by her first husband, Daniel Moyle. The family will receive friends on Friday, from 4-7 p.m. at the Life Story Funeral Home, 409 S. Main St., Vicksburg (649-1697). Funeral services will be held on Saturday at 2 p.m. at the same location. Please visit www.lifestorynet.com, where you can sign her memory book online before coming to the funeral home or make a memorial donation to the Hospice Care of Southwest Michigan and/or Mattawan Community Church.