Fred Ramirez

Fred Barron Ramirez, a man of remarkable resilience, opinions, and great hair, was born on February 28, 1946, in Pharr, Texas, to Santos and Celia (Barron) Ramirez. Despite the early loss of his father, Fred's determination led him to quit school and start working to support his mother, older sister, and three younger brothers. Their journey took them to different states for fruit harvesting work, a testament to Fred's unwavering commitment to his family.

In 1964, Fred's life significantly turned when he met Anita “Anna” Amador in Mount Vernon, Washington. Their love story culminated in marriage on September 26th, 1964. They chose to settle in Vale, Oregon, in 1965. Fred and Anita's union was blessed with four children. Anna was diagnosed with cancer in 1989 and passed in 1990. Fred recently shared with his family that he never had a better dancing partner than Anna.

Fred briefly remarried and had a daughter (Erica) from that union.

Fred enjoyed working. He worked with bees, fought fires for the BLM, and farmed for Tak Kuwahara and Ray and Johnny Tameno. In the summer of 1972, Fred and Anna were attending a TexMex dance when he was approached by the Malheur County Sheriff Robert Ingram, who recruited him to join Malheur County Jail. In 1973, Fred began his career in law enforcement, working for the Malheur County Jail Corrections as the first Hispanic officer to join the department. Fred left the Malheur County Jail and joined the Nyssa Police Department under the direction of Chief Pancho Rios, where he rose to the position of corporal.

Fred also enjoyed being an entrepreneur by operating his harvesting truck. After leaving a career in law enforcement, Fred began farming for Ted and Rod Frahm. Fred loved farming and took pride in clearing unusable land, planting, and harvesting.

Fred loved traveling to Texas in the winter to visit his sister and share stories about their children and grandchildren. He also enjoyed getting a new pickup truck every few years, keeping it polished daily. Fishing, hunting, and frequently traveling to the Oregon Coast—Depot Bay for clam chowder. Most of all, Fred loved his family and was always present with

guidance and support in his children’s lives. Unbeknownst to them, Fred added every picture and achievement to his private picture album.

Fred is survived by his children Sandra (Darryle) Brown of Payette ID, Cynthia (Bill) Harmon of New Plymouth ID, Patty (Kirt) Toombs of Payette ID, Fred Jr of Ontario OR, Erica Ramirez of Payette ID. His grandchildren, Kimberly (Daniel) Gravett, Kyle (Melissa) Harmon, Anna (Dave) White, Andrew Harmon, Dr. William “KJ” (Kristin) Toombs, Kassandra Toombs, Regino Ramirez, Fred Ramirez III, Miriam Delgadillo, Alakai and Moses Nunez. 14 greatgrandchildren. His sister Elida Gomez of Monte Alto TX, Gilbert (Rita) Ramirez Vale OR, Santos (Ester) Ramirez Vale, OR and numerous nieces and nephews.

Preceding him in death were his parents, his wife, his granddaughter Anna, his brother Richard, and his best friend and brother-in-law Ramiro Gomez.

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