In Memory of Gabriel J. Ramos, Jr.

December 11th, 2021, Gabriel J. Ramos, Jr. (“Gabe” or “Kiko” to his family), husband, father, son, brother, uncle, step-grandfather, step-great grandfather, and friend, who dedicated his life to public service, succumbed to a short battle with Cholangiocarcinoma, a rare form of liver bile duct cancer, with fewer than 20,000 US cases annually.

 

In his youth, at St. Raymond's High School, he was a member of ASPIRA, which is devoted to the leadership of Hispanic youths, and he went on to co-found the Puerto Rican Organization at Syracuse University, helping bridge the university-community gap.

Ramos began his police career as both a Peace and Police Officer with Syracuse Police Department. Later transferring to the Tequesta Police Department in Florida, he was loved and highly respected among his peers. In the 1980s, he represented his Department in the Special Olympic Torch Run. He also proudly served in the Coast Guard Reserves.

 

Ramos subsequently joined the Palm Beach County School Board Police, grateful, he once said, for “the opportunity to intervene early”. In 1994, he was recognized as Distinguished Officer of the Year by The Palm Beach Post and by the US Police Canine Association as a Narcotics Dog Officer - multiple times. While a School Resource Officer at Dwyer High School, he went above and beyond his job description. He volunteered to serve as the Class of 1995 Faculty Sponsor and was recognized with a memorial stone on campus and served as Strength Coach for the Varsity Basketball Team.

 

Ramos ultimately joined the Palm Beach County Public Defender’s Office as an Investigator; completing his professional service. Working for the “PD’s Office” (as he affectionately referred to it) he advocated for those who could not always advocate for themselves, particularly non-English speakers.

 

During retirement, he founded Pitirre Investigations, in Syracuse, NY, continuing criminal defense work, including working with the Assigned Counsel Program of Onondaga. Infamously, Ramos appeared on ABC’s 20/20 for his work during the Castor Murder Trial. Ramos founded a non-profit, Gideon’s Boutique, providing free professional attire to indigent defendants so that their clothing would not be held against them in court.

 

Ramos’s greatest and cherished role was that of Dad and Best Buddy to his son with special needs, Gabriel, born with Cerebral Palsy. Ramos lovingly cared for Gabriel his entire life, and during the last 20 years, Ramos's wife has been Gabriel's ever-attentive stepmother. Ramos, an active parent of the Special Olympics, served as a coach for several sports, recently  co-coaching his son’s basketball team. 

 

Given Ramos’s sudden passing, the current financial situation for his son is precarious. Unfortunately, Ramos’s police pension has ceased. His son and wife will suffer the loss of a Social Security benefit received by Ramos and his wife (only the larger being forwarded to Ramos’s wife for meeting the cost of running the household.)

 

The page aims to cover the remaining mortgage on Gabriel’s home and ensure continued access to critical services which are helping through this difficult time. All funds will be sent to a trust established for Gabriel’s care.

 

We are living during difficult and financially challenging times; please give from your heart, give what you can...and please share this with family, friends, and co-workers. Health blessings to all. Thank you!