David L. Ramp

Ramp, David L. Loving family and extended family members lost a beloved husband, father, grandfather, son, brother, and dear friend; low income consumers lost a magnificent trial lawyer and gifted advocate when nationally renowned consumer attorney David L. Ramp, 59, died of cancer on May 7th. David Ramp, born in Minneapolis, MN, grew up near Cleveland, OH. After graduating from the University of Akron College of Law in 1976, he returned to MN and began a distinguished career of lifelong public service. As a new lawyer, he nearly single-handedly opened the Morrison-Todd Legal Aid office in Little Falls. Over the next twenty-three years, he represented low income clients as a legal aid attorney in Little Falls, Duluth, St. Cloud and Minneapolis. During fifteen years in the Minneapolis offices, his work in consumer advocacy, particularly regarding rent-to-own and landlord- tenant issues, gained national attention, leading Minnesota Attorney General Mike Hatch to recruit him in 1999 to represent the citizens of MN, where he continued to work for the rights of consumers. After a brief tenure in private practice to engage in consumer class action litigation, he returned to public service in 2004, to the State of Minnesota Office of Administrative Hearings, where he worked until cancer tragically forced him to retire. Career honors/awards include: prestigious national Vern Countryman Award in 1997; Best Paper Award in 1997 from the American Marketing Association for a paper on the rent-to-own industry; Hennepin County Bar Association Pro Bono Publico Public Sector Award in 1999; Member of the Consumer Advisory Council Board of Directors of the Federal Reserve System 1998-2000. David lovingly and tirelessly nurtured his family, home and garden. Other passions included trains, cooking, camping/biking/canoeing with his family, music and the peacefulness of a sunrise viewed in the company of his dear wife. David Ramp is survived by his beloved wife, Linda "Toni" Silver; children, Ian Silver-Ramp and Noah (Laura) Silver; grandchildren, Eli and Mira Silver; parents, Marjorie and Floyd Ramp; siblings, Sandy (Dick) Smith, Paul Ramp (Cary Staples), Cheryl Ramp (Bob Waffle); brother- in-law, Brian (Nancy) Silver; nieces and nephews, Brett and Gwen Smith, Gillian and Evan Waffle, Cohl Staples- Ramp, Katelyn Silver, Rob and Clint Schaefer). A memorial service is scheduled for Saturday, May 16th at 11:00 am at the Coon Rapids Dam Park, Pavilion 5, 9750 Egret Blvd NW, Coon Rapids, MN 55433. In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent to The Fund For The Legal Aid Society.
This obituary was originally published in the Star Tribune.