Elvira (Ramirez) Deeley

Elvira Deeley, age 79, passed away peacefully on March 1, 2022 in Bogart, Georgia with her loving husband, James Dale Deeley (Jim), and daughters, Marguerite Deeley Elmgreen (Margui) and Elizabeth Lee Deeley (Beth) by her side after a courageous battle with Frontotemporal dementia (“FTD”).  She is survived by Jim, Margui and her husband Roger, Beth and her partner Moira, and granddaughters Lauren, Alison, Megan, and Vienna.

Elvira was born on August 3, 1942 in Sincé, Department of Sucre, Colombia to parents José Blas and Inés María Ramírez.  She had five siblings: Carolina, Carmen, Mercedes, Rafael, and Marines.  She attended Catholic boarding school in Bogotá, Colombia at Colegio Santa Clara from first grade until her graduation from high school with honors in 1959.  An excellent student who was eager to see more of the world and further her education, Elvira moved to the United States at seventeen to study advanced English at Saint Michael’s College in Vermont and went on to attend Saint Mary’s College at Notre Dame.  Afterward, Elvira moved to Washington, D.C. to work as the Executive Assistant to the Co-Founder and Chairman of the Board of Dynalectric Corporation (later DynCorp) where she applied her advanced language skills in English, French, and Spanish.  She proudly became a naturalized United States citizen in 1984.

Elvira met her husband and love of her life, Jim, in Washington, D.C. in 1965. They married a year later and were profoundly devoted to each other throughout their fifty-five year marriage.  In 1967, they welcomed their first daughter, Margui.  Elvira and her family moved to Athens, Georgia in 1969 where they welcomed her second daughter, Beth, a year later.  An accomplished early career woman who strove for excellence and perfection in everything she did, Elvira turned her drive and focus to her family following the birth of her two daughters.  She supported Jim throughout his career, even joining him in his real estate coursework to help him study and earn his real estate license.  She took great pride in raising strong, accomplished daughters.  Margui, a graduate of Georgia Tech, has had a successful 32-year career as an engineer and business manager at the Savannah River Site in Aiken, South Carolina, where she is currently the Director of Business for Site Services—all while raising four daughters accomplished in their own right.  Beth, a graduate of the University of Georgia Terry College of Business and The George Washington University Law School, is a Partner and Global Vice Chair of the Complex Commercial Litigation Practice at the international law firm, Latham & Watkins.  But perhaps Elvira’s favorite role was playing doting grandmother to Lauren, Alison, Megan, and Vienna.

Elvira’s devotion to family did not stop at her own doorstep.  While her family was spread across the world, she maintained deep bonds with them.  Every week, the Deeley kitchen phone erupted with the sounds of loud, rapid-fire “Costeño” (coastal Colombian Spanish) and laughter as Elvira and her parents and sisters relayed the latest stories and updates from home. It was even more fun for everyone (even for Jim and the other limited-Spanish speakers) when they got together in person because whether you could follow every word, or only caught every 20th, Elvira and her sisters Carmen, Mercedes, and Marines were nothing if they weren’t the funniest and most animated story tellers in the extended Ramirez-Deeley family – a favorite was the story about Carmen and Elvira locking Mérce in a classroom alone with “Pepito,” the anatomy skeleton, to discipline her for some undisclosed mischief.  And though they came from different worlds, Elvira developed close bonds with Jim’s brother Alan and his wife June.  Elvira and June together maintained, recorded, and passed on the Deeley family’s beautiful holiday traditions, delicious recipes, and family culture and history.

When she wasn’t spending time devoted to her family, Elvira enjoyed managing her own investments and gardening.  She meticulously studied Value Line and, as her family jokingly observed, never missed her Friday night “date” with Louis Rukeyser.  Elvira also created and maintained an award-worthy botanical garden at her home, which was a welcome haven to dozens of bird species that she loved to watch and an enticing smorgasbord for deer and other woodland creatures impervious to her comical daily shooing.  She loved animals and raised many beloved family pets.  Elvira will be remembered for her elegance and style (never a hair out of place), unassuming intellect, attention to detail, and devotion to her family and friends.

Elvira’s strength was never tested as much as during the last ten years as she fought the cruel and still incurable disease, FTD.  Jim never left her side throughout that battle.  And her family will be forever grateful for the kindness of her caregivers, Angel, Carletta, Debbie, and Retta, and her nurse, Mary Elizabeth.  Through this time, she was comforted by her faith and daily affirmation, which she would undoubtedly share with those grieving this loss: “Good morning Elvira. This is God.  I will be handling your problems today.  I will not need your help, so have a great day.”

A private mass, interment, and memorial will be held for Elvira on March 21.  In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in her memory to The Association for Frontotemporal Degeneration (https://www.theaftd.org/support-aftds-mission or AFTD, 2700 Horizon Drive, Suite 120, King of Prussia, PA 19406) or the UCSF Memory and Aging Center (https://memory.ucsf.edu/about/support-us).

Lord and Stephens Funeral Home, WEST, Watkinsville, GA is in charge of arrangements. www.lordandstephens.com