Dorothy E. Ramsvig

Dorothy Ellen Ramsvig endured many of the most difficult times of her nation's history. As a young woman, she witnessed the economic devastation of the Great Depression and waited anxiously for the end of World War II. Her life experiences gave her a unique perspective on the world and she was not afraid to do her own thing or to speak her mind. She loved to laugh and was always ready to go where the party was. In the fall of 1922, William and Rosie (Poore) Hepworth of Pentwater were awaiting the arrival of a new baby. Little Dorothy joined the hustle and bustle of the Hepworth home on November 11. She was soon toddling after her many older siblings and quickly learned that hard work and responsibility were necessities in their family. Dorothy's father worked their small farm, which provided much of the family's food. He also exercised his religious faith as a self-proclaimed Baptist preacher and he and Rosie were strict with the children. Dorothy's mom had her hands full managing the household while in the process of bearing seventeen babies, and later in life she did some missionary work for her church. When she wasn't studying in her one-room schoolhouse, Dorothy was busy baking bread and pies for the family, working in the fields, and caring for her younger brothers and sisters. She also attended church regularly with the rest of the family and they all enjoyed singing hymns together at home. Dorothy left home when she turned sixteen and lived with her sister until her high school graduation. She found a job working at a button factory in Muskegon and was also a waitress at a local club. At the button factory, she met a young man named Andrew Plamondon. He stopped in at the restaurant to see her sometimes and their relationship grew over the next year. They were married in May of 1943 and established their first home in Muskegon Heights. Andrew had a son from a previous marriage and he and Dorothy had four more children together. Andrew worked hard providing for the family as a machinist at Shaw Box Crane and Dorothy returned to work after their youngest was born. Whenever she wanted something new, such as a bedroom suite, she would take on a new job and work until she had enough money for the item she wanted. In this way, she provided things for the household and also held a variety of jobs, which kept her from getting bored doing the same thing all the time. Andrew and Dorothy were Catholic and took the children to church. She was a very good cook and she enjoyed baking for the family and sewing clothes for the children. While growing up in a large family as a middle child, Dorothy learned how to get attention. One example was when she and Andy talked about re-building their house. Andy was taking too long, so Dorothy took it upon herself to start demolishing the house to get the project started! Growing up in a religious family, singing hymns taught Dorothy her love of music. She was able to play the piano, the guitar, and the accordion, and she was often invited to sing and play. Her strong alto was well suited to country music and she was given opportunities to appear on a local television show. After 17 years of marriage, Dorothy and Andy agreed to divorce. Shortly after her divorce, she married Marshall Ramsvig. She and Marshall shared many common interests. They worked hard at their jobs and both enjoyed activities that brought them pleasure, although one visit to the auto racetrack in Marne proved to be less than enjoyable when they were hit by debris from a crash. It ended well, though, when the insurance settlement they received financed a vacation around the United States, including a trip to Alaska. Sadly, Marshall developed emphysema and Dorothy faithfully cared for him until his death in 1991. Dorothy moved into Pine Grove Manor, an apartment complex for seniors. Despite her weakening vision, she continued driving until she was involved in a minor accident with a police car. Being an avid Bingo player, she frequented local Bingo halls. Dorothy's own battle with emphysema and her worsening health required a complicated combination of medications which she could not always follow. After many trips to the emergency room, she moved into Brookhaven Nursing Home and in no time had talked the nursing staff into adding more bingo sessions to the schedule. She enjoyed living at Brookhaven, but when diagnosed with lung cancer she became discouraged. After a month long battle, she passed away on March 13, 2006. Dorothy is survived by two sons, Marvin Plamondon of Allendale and Dennis Plamondon of Ludington; two daughters, Judith (Bob) Riegler and Maxine Heim, both of Muskegon; two step-sons, Alvin (Patty) Plamondon of Idaho and David (Liz) Ramsvig of Canada; four sisters, Katherine Belk, Jule (Dick) Brower, Helen (Vern) Dougherty, and Wilma (Howard) VanHietsma; four brothers, Franklin (Elveretta) Hepworth, Donald (Betty) Hepworth, Denzel (Carol) Hepworth, and Jessie (Marian) Hepworth; a brother-in-law, Wilferd Smith; two sisters-in-law, Mary Hepworth and Beryl Hepworth; twenty-three grandchildren; and twenty-eight great grandchildren. A memorial service will be held on Saturday, March 18, 2006, at 1:00 PM at Clock Chapel - Muskegon. Please visit Dorothy's personal memory page at www.lifestorynet.com where you may share a memory, order flowers, or make a memorial contribution to the National Foundation for Cancer Research.