Mother of slain child beauty queen laid to rest

<p>Patsy Ramsey, who was thrust into the national spotlight by the unsolved 1996 slaying of her daughter, 6-year-old beauty pageant contestant JonBenet, was remembered at her funeral Thursday for her strength after the murder and during her battle with cancer.</p><p>"I watched your lives after the tragedy of JonBenet's death and the horror of Patsy being accused," the Rev. Mike Long read from a letter written by an unidentified family friend to Patsy's husband, John, and 19-year-old son, Burke, in response to her death.</p><p>"The three of you, like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, walked through the furnace of fire and came out without smelling like smoke. No bitterness, but a stronger, growing faith," Long read from the letter, referring to the story from the Bible's Old Testament.</p><p>About 300 people attended the hourlong, closed-casket service at Roswell United Methodist Church, before a procession to a cemetery in Marietta, also an Atlanta suburb, where her body was buried beside JonBenet's grave after hundreds of colorful balloons were released.</p><p>Patsy Ramsey died Saturday at her father's home in Roswell from complications of ovarian cancer. She was 49.</p><p>"We believe this day ... she is in a place where there's no more suffering, no more pain," Long said.</p><p>Long described Ramsey as a "truly remarkable, irreplaceable woman." Others described her as the "biggest cheerleader" for her children, including helping her son build a skateboard park.</p><p>The Rev. Nancy Folsom, another pastor at the church, said Ramsey also would often call people recently diagnosed with cancer to offer words of encouragement in their early days of treatment. Other patients at her same clinic would make sure to schedule their treatments for when Ramsey would be there.</p><p>"In reflecting on her life with her family and friends, I heard statements like 'she never said a negative thing about anyone' and 'she could light up a room,'" Folsom said. "Patsy was a wonderful mother, devoting herself to her children and their endeavors."</p><p>Only a few references were made to JonBenet's death during the eulogies. Most of the comments focused on her life as a whole and her fight with cancer.</p><p>JonBenet was found beaten and strangled in the basement of the family's home in Boulder, Colo., on Dec. 26, 1996. A grand jury investigation ended with no indictments and no arrests have been made in the case.</p><p>Patsy Ramsey, a native of West Virginia, was crowned Miss West Virginia in 1977. JonBenet followed her mother into beauty pageants, and the titles she won included Little Miss Colorado; Colorado State All-Star Kids Cover Girl; and National Tiny Miss Beauty.</p><p>John and Patsy Ramsey left Colorado after JonBenet's death and wrote a book, "The Death of Innocence," which was published in 2000.</p><p>The Ramseys had homes in Atlanta and Michigan, where John Ramsey ran unsuccessfully for the Michigan House in 2004, finishing second among six candidates vying for the Republican nomination.</p><p>The Ramseys discussed their daughter's death during the campaign.</p><p>"We can't just hold our breath and hope the killer will be found and then go on with our lives," Patsy Ramsey said in 2004. "We have to move ahead now. We can't let evil win."</p><p>Patsy Ramsey is survived by her husband and their son.</p>

http://accesswdun.com/article/2006/6/121421