Teddie Lee Ramsey, MSW, 80 of Bluffton, passed away Friday evening, Aug. 22, 2025, at his home, surrounded by his loving family.
Ted was born on June 28, 1945, in Sarasota, Florida to J. W. and Helen (Sweeting) Ramsey. He graduated from Jefferson High School in Lafayette, Indiana. in 1963. He furthered his education at Manitee Junior College in Sarasota, Purdue University, then Indiana University School of Social Work in Indianapolis, and ended his education at Saint Mary of the Woods in Terre Haute.
Ted began his social work career at the Logansport State Hospital as a community based social worker, stationed in Lafayette, where he also worked as a part-time practitioner in a private psychiatric office. He then worked full-time for the next six years in this private setting. In 1977, he transitioned to the local Comprehensive Community Mental Health Center in Lafayette, opening a satellite office in rural Carroll County. In 1978 he accepted the Clinical Services supervisor’s position at the Menard Psychiatric Center in Chester, Illinois, which was a 400 single celled maximum security correctional facility in Illinois for prisoners with mental illnesses and also served as the treatment facility for an intensive sex offender treatment program. He served as the Clinical Services supervisor until his promotion to Chief of Counseling Services for the Illinois Department of Corrections in which position he oversaw mental health, substance abuse, sexual and violent offender treatment, and correctional counseling services for juvenile and adult prisons in both male and female facilities. During his tenure there, he set up a statewide mental health system within the DOC that provided follow-up treatment and services to prisoners transitioning from the prison’s mental health facility, back into the general prison populations. In that position he also served on the Illinois Dangerous Drugs Commission and the Governor’s Council on Alcohol and Alcohol Abuse.
Ted would later serve as the Director of Psychiatric Programs at the Caylor-Nickel Medical Center in Bluffton. This position was connected with a 30 bed inpatient psychiatric program including intensive comprehensive outpatient services. These were programs within a multi specialty diagnostic medical clinic and hospital. In that capacity he managed, supervised and provided in and outpatient treatment to children, adolescents and adults, families and couples. Much of his time there was also spent in providing mental health consultation and treatment to acutely and chronically medically ill patients of all ages including the terminally ill. He also served as the mental health consultant to a large comprehensive Multiple Sclerosis Clinic for 13 years at this facility. In this latter position he participated as a content provider in many seminars for health care professionals and families of and patients suffering from MS while facilitating an MS support group. He was named “Manager of the Year” along with a Physician of the Year and Employee of the Year the first year such awards were given. This facility would later become part of the Lutheran Health Network headquartered in Fort Wayne, and he transferred in 2006 to an outpatient psychiatric office as part of the Lutheran Health Physicians Group, from which he retired in 2013.
On March 25, 1967, Ted and Bonnie Haas were married at First Reformed Church in Lafayette. The couple were blessed to share 58 years of marriage together.
Survivors include his wife, Bonnie of Bluffton; two sons, Bren and daughter-in-law Jill Ramsey of Fort Wayne and Nathan Ramsey of Seattle, Washington; along with two grandsons, Maxon P. and Asa H. Ramsey. He is also survived by his siblings, Doug Ramsey of Sarasota, Florida, Carol Mask of North Port, Florida and Bonnie Shank of Green Bay, Wisconsin; and a special cousin, Regina Swilley of Sarasota, Florida.
He is preceded in death by his parents, J.W. and Helen Ramsey; and his siblings, J.W. Ramsey, Darlen Dotson and Hallie Conn.
Visitation will be held on Thursday, Aug. 28, 2025, from 3 to 7 p.m. at the Thoma/Rich, Lemler Funeral Home in Bluffton. A memorial service will take place at the conclusion of calling hours at 7 p.m. on Thursday, at the funeral home with Rev. Terry Epling and Pastor Sandy Garcia officiating.
Memorials may be made to Family Centered Services and directed through the funeral home.
Funeral arrangements have been entrusted to the care of the Lemler family of Thoma/Rich, Lemler Funeral Home in Bluffton. Friends may share online condolences with the family at www.thomarich.com.