Harriet Patterson Ramage

Dateline – Laurens, SC
Harriet Beckwith Patterson Ramage passed away on Thursday, April 6, 2017, leaving behind a brother, Brooks Patterson, two daughters, Rita Wells, and husband Bill, and Elizabeth Derby, and four grandchildren, Ann Wells, Margaret Derby, Walter Derby and Kathryn Wells.
Harriet grew up in Laurens County and attended Laurens County High School, where she met and later married her high school sweetheart – Walter Senn Ramage – in a love story for the ages that lasted 61 years. She graduated from Winthrop College in 1956 with a degree in English. She was a writer and avid reader, whose desire to continue learning never wavered, and she wrote a column for the Laurens County Advertiser for many years.
She was active in sports throughout her life – from high school basketball to golf as an adult – and she served WSCGA in various leadership positions, including board member and president, for 12 years. A breast cancer survivor, she organized and facilitated a cancer support group for 15 years. Her experiences with this, combined with her love of nature and gardening, led to her instrumental role in establishing the Ferguson Meditation Garden at Laurens County Memorial Hospital – something she held incredibly close to her heart.
She was a woman of great faith, and poured into each and every person she interacted with. She was active in the church in every city she lived, held numerous leadership positions, and advocated for increased leadership roles for women within the church.
She spent much of her adult life as a homemaker, raising her children and she took an active part in her grandchildren’s lives, believing grandparents to be important influences. Her impact on her family was immense.
Her lifetime goal was to make a difference in people’s lives, and she carried this out – gravitating toward those, strangers and friends, who were troubled. She had a unique sense for understanding people’s needs, often leaving strangers with a new perspective on their problems and lives. She touched many more lives than she ever could have realized.
Services will be held at 2pm on April 8 at First United Methodist Church of Laurens, with a visitation to follow.
In lieu of flowers, memorials can be made to the Ferguson Meditation Garden (PO Box 1338, Laurens, SC 29360), First United Methodist Church of Laurens (PO Box 203, Laurens, SC 29360), and/or Martha Franks Baptist Retirement Center (1 Martha Franks Dr, Laurens, SC 29360).
Condolences may be expressed online at www.grayfuneralhome.com
Gray Funeral Home of Laurens