Dr. Ramón A. Nieto

1943 - 2024

Dr. Ramón A. Nieto
1943 - 2024
Dr. Ramón Alejandro Nieto of South Windsor, Connecticut, passed away peacefully at home on April 23, 2024, surrounded by his loving family.
Ramón was born in 1943 in Chiquinquirá, Colombia, and was predeceased by his parents Jorge Andrés Nieto and Teodolinda de Nieto, along with three of his siblings, José, Luís and Olga.
Ramón is survived by his loving wife of 49 years, Paula Nieto (Courville), his son, Dr. Andrés Nieto and his wife, Dr. Jennifer Dreiling of Cheshire, CT, along with his daughter, Andréa Piotrowski and her husband Bill Piotrowski of Manchester, CT, and his brother Gustavo Nieto of Bogotá, Colombia. He is also survived, loved, and missed dearly by his grandchildren, Will and Alejandra Piotrowski and Alexander and Christian Nieto. He also leaves behind many cherished nieces and nephews.
Ramón's journey to the United States began after graduating from the Universidad Nacional de Colombia, with a degree in medicine and surgery, in July 1970. Shortly thereafter, Dr. Nieto moved to the United States with $200 in his pocket and not a word of English. After much hard work, he was admitted to the American Board of Internal Medicine in 1976. During this time, he also met and married the love of his life, Paula, and began a long and meaningful life here in Connecticut. He, with the help of Paula, a registered nurse, set up a medical practice on Main St. in Manchester, where they would go on to care for countless members of the community. Dr. Nieto was well known throughout Manchester Memorial Hospital from when he started there in 1976 and where he served as Chairman of the Department of Medicine from 1990-1993. He was loved by all the nurses and support staff throughout his time at the hospital. Later in his career, he would go on to become one of the founding members of ProHealth Physicians.
Beyond his career, he loved spending time at his Florida house, visiting family in Colombia, working on computers, throwing parties by the pool (oh those pig roasts!), golfing with his friends, son-in-law and grandson at Willowbrook Golf Course in South Windsor, and hanging out with his grandchildren. Attempting to teach his grandkids Spanish or math or beating them in a game of chess was one of his favorite things to do. He also loved watching soccer with his grandsons, in addition to cheering for them while they played on the pitch. He was a lifelong fan of the fútbol club Santa Fe of Bogotá. He also loved awing at his granddaughter's artwork.
Ramón took great pride in education, teaching people about his native Colombia, making sure everyone felt included and loved, helping those in need. He taught us the value of giving and sharing what you have, whether it was welcoming a niece or nephew into his home for months at a time to learn English, gifting people items they may not be able to afford or simply giving of his medical advice to family and friends in the middle of the night with no expectation of anything in return. His practice of medicine truly stemmed from his love of science and the desire to help those who were suffering. May he live on forever in the dear memories we hold of him in our hearts.
Many thanks to the VNA, especially Carol Koch, who went above and beyond with her gentle care and guidance through these final days. In addition, we would like to thank the doctors and nurses, especially Dr. Michael Reale, at the DeQuattro Cancer Center and Dr. Gerald Bayona for his dedication and empathy shown during Ramón's care.
A celebration of life will be held on Sunday, May 5th, from 1-4 p.m. at John F. Tierney Funeral Home, 219 West Center Street, Manchester, CT.
The family requests donations be made to the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. For online condolences, please visit www.tierneyfuneralhome.com .