Renée Ramos died peacefully in her sleep on February 2nd, 2025. She was 93 years of age. She was born Sept. 13, 1931 in Brussels, Belgium to her parents Paul Van Cotthem and Isabel Montejo. Renée was trained as a registered nurse (RN) and worked as a surgical scrub nurse at the Marly Clinic in Bogotá, where she met her future husband, Dr. Andres Avelino Ramos Caicedo, M.D. They married on November 18th, 1954 in Colombia and were happily married for 51 years. They emigrated to the US in 1958 and came to Knoxville, Tennessee in 1962 (1962-1979) and then Nashville, Tennessee in 1979. She became a U.S. citizen in June, 1974 (51 years ago). She spoke French, Spanish, and English. Renée was a nationally-recognized trapshooter. She was a Lifetime Member of the American Trapshooting Association (ATA) since 1968 and won many events at state, regional, and national level, including at Vandalia, Ohio. Renée was a Cub Scout Den Mother and a teaching assistant for many years at public schools in Knoxville and Nashville. Renée loved the lakes, rivers, and mountains of Tennessee. She read and discussed history, political history, and literature, which included Europe, the US, and South America. Renée and her husband travelled widely: They visited Germany, Denmark, Spain, France, England, Colombia, Mexico, Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong, and other countries. She is predeceased in death by her parents, her brother Paul, and her sister Olga. Her brother Carlos lives in Bogota, Colombia. Her children include Andreas (wife, Helen), Eric (partner, Lisa), Fred, Mario (wife, Iris), and Patricia (deceased). Her grandchildren include Carmellita Johnson and Tony Johnson, Jr. (children of Patricia and Tony Senior), and Alexander Ramos (son of Mario and Iris). Her great-grandchild is Raelyn Johnson (daughter of Tony Jr. and Savannah).
The Memorial Service
We held a private memorial service on Saturday, February 8th, 2025 for immediate family and close friends. Renée was buried next to her husband Andrés Avelino Ramos, her daughter Patricia, and her grandson Maximiliano at the Garden of Naomi in Woodlawn Memorial Park, 660 Thompson Lane, Nashville, TN 37204.
Flowers and Donations
Instead of flowers, an apple tree will be planted in Mom's name at Tony and Savannah's house. It'll have apples every year. Send your donation to Anthony Johnson (her grandson) via Venmo at @Anthony-Johnson-151 (or email to Tony Johnson) or Andreas Ramos via Paypal to andreas@andreas.com.