Juana Maria Ramirez passed away peacefully on December 29, 2023, in Johnstown surrounded by her loving family. She was 92 years old.

Juana Maria was born on January 10, 1931, in Acala, Texas, to Nicolas Ortiz and Mercedes Lopez. She grew up in Bella Vista, Mexico, and married Ruben Ramirez in Chihuahua, Mexico, on June 11, 1953. Ruben did agricultural work and Juana Maria was a homemaker and lovingly raised their three children before they permanently settled in Johnstown in 1964.

Juana Maria will be remembered as a loving and caring woman with a kind heart who loved to be around her large family. She was very active at St. John’s The Baptist Catholic Church in Johnstown and was a devoted Catholic. She enjoyed sewing and crocheting for most of her life and was also a social butterfly who took pleasure in spending time in the Johnstown community with her family, friends, and neighbors. She was a wonderful cook and made delicious traditional Mexican food for her loved ones, especially empanadas, chiles rellenos and gorditas. She will be remembered as the matriarch of her family, and a devoted wife, mother, and grandmother. She was actively involved in each one of her grandchildren and great-grandchildren’s lives and had a special relationship with each one of them.

She is survived by her son, Robert (Nellie) Ramirez of Johnstown; her daughter, Yolanda (Nicolas) Ramirez of Milliken; son-in-law, Pablo Garcia of Milliken; as well as 12 grandchildren, 28 great-grandchildren and five great-great grandchildren.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Ruben Ramirez; daughter, Rosa Garcia; granddaughters Ruby Ramirez and Roxanne Bustos; grandson, Juan Manuel Mendez; and brothers, Jose, Geronimo, and Ricardo Ortiz. 

Visitation will be held from 4-6 p.m. January 5 at Macy-Allnutt Funeral Home in Greeley with Recitation of the Rosary to begin at 6 p.m. The funeral will be held on January 6 at 10 a.m. at Our Lady of the Valley Catholic Church in Windsor, with interment to follow at Johnstown Cemetery.