Rochelle Stern RAMSEY

1950 - 2016

Rochelle Stern Ramsey, 65, of Elk Grove, passed away on December 8, 2015 at the U.C. Davis Medical Center, Sacramento, CA. She was born on November 1, 1950 to John and Loleen (Sanders) Smith in New Orleans, LA. She graduated from St. Mary's Dominican high school and LSU-New Orleans with a B.A. in Political Science. While at LSU she served as student body president, the first female student body president, as well as the first African-American student body president in the school's history. She received her J.D. from the Georgetown School of Law and was admitted to the bar that same year. She worked as a trial attorney for the U.S. Dept. of Labor in Washington D.C., and after two years there she transferred to the Dept. of Labor office in Kansas City, Mo. She then transferred to the Dept. of Labor office in Los Angeles Ca. where she became an Administrative Law Judge. In 1984 she married Irvin Ramsey in Los Angeles. They relocated to Elk Grove, California, where she was appointed as an appellate Administrative Law Judge with the California Unemployment Insurance Appeals Board where she served until retiring in 2013. She was a member of The California Bar, and the American Bar Association. Rochelle is survived by her loving spouse of 31 years Irvin Ray Ramsey, her son Greg, her brothers Edward (Leslie), Angelo (Darlene), Darrell (Kathy), Ricardo, Marc (Jackie), Daniel (Felicia), and Patrick (Danielle), sister-in-law Karen Lane (Wayne) and many cousins, nieces, and nephews. Her biological father, John D Stern, her mother, Lolleen G Smith, her step-father Edward L. Smith Sr., sisters Virginia and Antoinette, preceded her in death. A Memorial Service will be held at 11:00am, March 19, 2016, at Trinity Cathedral Episcopal Church, Sacramento, California with Rev. Lynell Walker officiating. Cremation took place at East Lawn Mortuary, Elk Grove, California. In lieu of flowers, please send donations to the Susan G. Komen Foundation. Online condolences can be given the East Lawn web site.