Emma Diaz Ramos, 82, of San Antonio, formerly of Uvalde, died on May 12, 2016, in San Antonio. She was born in Knippa on Sept. 7, 1933, to Hortencia (Palos) and Salome Diaz. After graduating from Uvalde High School in 1952, Ramos attended Trinity University, then received a bachelor’s degree and nursing certification from the Baptist School of Nursing in San Antonio in 1956. She obtained a Bachelor of Science in nursing from the University of the Incarnate Word in San Antonio in 1957. The family says she was always a consummate professional, and she epitomized all the positive aspects of nursing: empathy, caring and consideration, consciousness of duty and dedication. Ramos started her professional career at the San Antonio State School. She then worked at Robert B. Green Memorial Hospital, where the family says her talents and professionalism were recognized when she was asked to help in the development of the operating room at the Bexar County Hospital, now known as University Hospital in San Antonio. According to the family, she was considered and referred to as a pioneer of University Hospital by past and current staff; she was instrumental in ensuring a positive, caring, and safe environment for the surgical patients; and she was held in high regard by her peers and the surgeons with whom she worked. The family says she was so committed to her work that she joked that when it came time to deliver one of her children, she just jumped onto a gurney after her shift. After moving away from San Antonio, she worked at the Scott and White Memorial Hospital in Temple and the University Medical Center Brackenridge in Austin. She then returned to San Antonio, and though she retired several times, Ramos always returned to nursing. She was working as a home health care nurse at the time of her death, and the family says she was always on call for her patients. Even with her responsibilities as a nurse and operating room supervisor, she found time for her children and friends. In 1968, she enrolled her children in the Ballet Folklorico de San Antonio and the family says she developed a passion for the arts and dance that continued until her death. The family says as one of the original founders of the Texas Folklife Festival, she and her husband and children could be found providing dance and cultural experiences to the public during Fiesta, the Folklife Festival, and other festivities. According to the family, she served in several capacities with the Ballet Folklorico and was the executive director of the Ballet at the time of her death. She was recognized by the City of San Antonio for her involvement in the arts and was the recipient of several awards by the city and other institutions. She is survived by her husband of 59 years, Leo G. Ramos of San Antonio; four daughters, Yvonne Ramos and husband, Mark Molina, Rebecca Fisher and husband, David, and Benita Lopez and husband, William White of San Antonio, and Jimmie Kay Ramos of Sacramento, California; two sons, Michael Ramos and wife, Veronica, and Gregory Ramos, all of San Antonio; and seven grandchildren, Bryan, Alexander and Isabella Ramos, Chloe Ramos, Matthew Palencia, and Siprianita White, all of San Antonio, and Maria Belen Martinez, of Sacramento, California; three brothers, Salome Diaz Jr. and wife, Olga, and Antonio Diaz and wife, Ruby, all of Fort Worth, and Robert Diaz and wife, Alicia, of Uvalde; three sisters, Dora Martinez of Austin, Stella Ozuna and husband, Jesus, of Seguin, and Mary Helen Bates and husband, John Paul, of Uvalde; and numerous nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by one daughter, Diane Rose Ramos; parents; two brothers, Juan Pablo Diaz and Luis Diaz; one sister, Concepcion Tafolla; and two nephews, James Tafolla and John Paul Diaz. A celebration of her life was held on May 24, 2016, at 11 a.m. at the St. Pius X Catholic Church in San Antonio, followed by internment at Sunset Memorial Funeral Park. Memorials may be made to the Ballet Folklorico of San Antonio, 910 Chevy Chase, San Antonio, TX, 78209.
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