Born in New Amsterdam, Rose from a very early age was exposed to the stage. She performed and even won a medal at the then British Guiana Music Festival for Verse Speaking, as well as another award, in 1969.
She was brought up very close to the Roman Catholic Convent in New Amsterdam and said that she wanted to become a nun, but somehow found herself in teaching and stuck with that in the years that followed.
She has taught for 38 years (mostly at the St. Therese’s Primary School), and had been deeply involved in community life; and served in several positions in the Guyana Teachers’ Union (GTU) including Branch Secretary, Treasurer, Sports Secretary, District Sports Secretary and District Sports Representative for District 15.
At the national level, she served on a number of committees. She served for a number of years on the National Psychiatric Hospital Management Committee. Over the years, she received numerous accolades. She won the first ever Jean Persico Award in 1989 for being a dedicated teacher and for being actively involved in Union activities.
She was also given the President’s Award for Distinguished Service in 1995 (the highest award of the GTU); the long-service award from the New Amsterdam branch of GTU; Department of Education Region Six and Women’s Affairs’ Committee Region Six Awards, as well as a Department of Education Award Region Six, for being “a hard-worker and leader (head teacher) in the education system”.
Ms Dos Ramos penned numerous poems including ‘The Berbice River Bridge’, The Pride of Berbice’ and her most recent parody poem about the dilapidated East Bank Berbice road, ‘Ode to the Road’.
Rose Dos Ramos was also involved in writing text books for the Easy Path series in Social Studies.
And she was a prominent and very hardworking member in her parish church, the Roman Catholic Church of the Ascension.
She leaves to mourn her husband Ronald; children Peter, Sr. Samantha; and Dr. Karen Dos Ramos; numerous grand children; in- laws, friends and church family. She will be missed. (Leon Suseran)
BY KAIETEUR NEWS