James Royce Ramey

James Royce Ramey, born January 27, 1953 in Fayetteville, Arkansas. James’ family moved to Fort Smith, Arkansas when he was very young; and eventually relocating to Dallas, Texas in 1956. In the 60’s he moved to Arlington and remained in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex for about 50 years. James was preceded in death by his parents, James Marion Ramey and Clara Dean Wilson Ramey. His maternal grandparents, Noid Wilson and Edna Langham Wilson. His fraternal grandparents, James Columbus Ramey and Emma Shumate Ramey. Also by his special cousin, Todd Wilson. He started school in Dallas and continued his education in Arlington where he graduated in the class of 1971 at Sam Houston High School. While in high school, he was a member of the Texas Allstate Choir and played football. As a youth, he began his lifelong passion for bowling that he pursued until he was in his mid-sixties, often bowling competitive leagues. James started water skiing during the 1960s and early 1970s. His superb skills earned him the title "the king of the lake" on Lake Tawakoni in east Texas. His family went skiing on the lake almost every weekend during the summers while he was growing up. James began work at General Motors in Arlington, Texas after high school working there several years during the 1970s and 1980s. He later worked for the Rotadyne Corporation then Kroger Foods all in the DFW Metroplex. The major highlight of James’ life was the birth of his only child, Byron Ramey in March 1976. Though they were physically hundreds of miles apart much of the time, that in no way diminished his love and pride for his only child. In 2003 James returned to Arkansas to help his parents living on the long-time family property; east of Fayetteville near Goshen, AR, for the next 17 years. In 2020 he moved to Bella Vista, Arkansas, where he lived until his death. In Arkansas, he worked and retired from Superior Linen Service. He then began working for Enterprise in Springdale until 2025 when could no longer work due to his debilitating cancer. During his years in Arkansas he started a long arm quilting business and had many regular customers from 2010 until 2020. This quilting business was inspired by his mother and sister's love of making quilts. His work was known for its creativity and extreme attention to detail. He eventually could no longer quilt due to Rheumatoid Arthritis. James loved car racing, especially NASCAR. He was able to attend a couple of NASCAR races in person at the Texas Motor Speedway near Fort Worth. He loved racing so much he could watch the same race on television over and over. Finally, worthy of mention, is man's best friend; and for James that was his dog Scooter. Scooter was his constant companion for almost 18 years and the best of friends. James is survived by son and daughter-in-law, Byron and Amanda Ramey, and his grandchildren Kaleb and Keira, all of Hagerstown, MD; Sister and brother-in-law, Brenda and Glenn Brown, Nieces Sarah Brown Stunkard and family, and Allison Brown McFarland and family all of the Dallas, TX area. Pat Goodwin, former wife and mother of Byron, Chambersburg, PA; Nancy and Ira Canoy, special cousin, James Wilson, uncle, Springdale, AR, and Cheryl Laughlin, former wife, Lee's Summit, MO. James is also survived by many other wonderful cousins, relatives, friends, and the best neighbors ever in Bella Vista, AR., and especially Doug Cotton who cared for James not just as a neighbor but a close friend. Services for James will be held at Sisco Funeral Chapel on Tuesday March 31, 2026 at 10 a.m. for visitation and 11 a.m. for service. If you would like to make a donation in memory of James, please contribute to Circle of Life, and if possible mark that donation to the Bentonville care team where their care for James was full of compassion and love. Online condolences may be left www.siscofuneral.com

James Royce Ramey

January 27, 1953 - March 20, 2026