Ramona M. Ison of Locust Grove, VA passed away at her home in the early morning of April 27, 2023 in the company of her daughter. She was 93.

Born Kathleen Ramona McGuire, she entered this life on January 5, 1930, as the first child of Carl Herbert and Ola Mae (Ellis) McGuire in Amigo, WV. Her life began as a premature infant in a coal mining town at the start of the Great Depression. She often told of how her mother kept her warm during her first days by bundling her up and placing her in a basket behind the wood stove. In her younger years, the family later moved to Beckley, WV and added two more children, Carl Houston and Carol.

A member of the Woodrow Wilson High School class of 1947, she went on to study Home Economics at Concord College, earning her Bachelor of Science degree in 1951. She married fellow classmate James R. "Bob" Wilmoth in 1952 and taught school in both Trinidad, CO and Montgomery, WV while Bob pursued his degrees. In the evenings and during school breaks, she also worked as a reporter for local newspapers where she interviewed General Omar Bradley (United States Army), during his stop in Beckley.

In 1957 Ramona and Bob moved to northern Virginia where they spent their careers in the Fairfax County Public School System. Ramona taught both Home Economics and middle school science at Groveton and Sidney Lanier Middle Schools.

Following her retirement from teaching, Ramona continued to work, including home-bound teaching and for a number of years at Perot Systems. During her post-retirement years she met and married Mr. Delmar Ison. The couple relocated to Lake of the Woods in Locust Grove, VA.

She is preceded in death by her parents Carl H. McGuire and Ola Mae McGuire of Beckley, WV, her brother Dr. Carl Houston McGuire of Pineville, WV, sister Carol (McGuire) Tanner of Beckley, and both husbands James Robert Wilmoth of Martinsburg, WV and Delmer Ison of Locust Grove, VA. She is survived by her only child Martha W. Kleder of Fredericksburg, VA and many beloved nieces and nephews.

Ramona's sweet, funny, and charming personality, glamour, and generosity made her a lifetime of friends. She loved the Lord and her family with her whole heart and enjoyed making a beautiful, comfortable home for her loved ones and sharing her skills and knowledge with others.

Her memorial service will be held at Laurel Hill Funeral Home in Spotsylvania, VA on May 9, 2023. Visitation at noon, service at 1:00pm, followed by a graveside service at Laurel Hill Cemetery, 10127 Plank Rd, Spotsylvania, VA 22553.