Derek William Ramsay

PORTLAND – Derek William Ramsay, 38, of Shalom House in Portland, passed away at his parents’ home in Topsham on Sept. 30, 2024. Living with schizophrenia, Derek fought hard for over 20 years. He never gave up his dream of having stable employment, finding a wife and having a family. Ultimately, mental illness and addiction took his life.

Derek, an identical twin, was born in Lewiston on Sept. 5, 1986, to Cheryl (Haynes) and Robert Ramsay. He attended Mt. Ararat High School. Although he didn’t graduate with his classmates, he later received his GED when he was recruited to join the marines. He trained with the recruiting officer that summer before attending boot camp. It was the highlight of his summer. Unfortunately, his mental illness started taking hold and he was not able to become a marine.

In his late teens, after attending his first rehab, Derek worked mowing greens at Martindale Country Club in Auburn. It was a job that suited him well – he was fast and could mow more greens in less time than the other teens combined. In his 20s, amidst several more rehabs, Derek lived in Boston for several years. He worked as a bus boy in numerous restaurants, and later, as a private mail courier, until schizophrenia made it difficult for him to work. Although on occasion he was homeless, he loved living in the city. There were so many things to see and places to explore. He loved to show his family around when they came to visit. His favorite spots were the science museum, aquarium, and Boston Public Library.

From childhood, Derek was a kind, polite, and thoughtful person; he was energetic, excited and joyous; he had an insatiable curiosity about the world around him and a sense of humor that kept you on your toes – his personality prevailed through his mental illness and substance abuse,

He was affectionately called “Dennis the Menace” for his little pranks, jokes, and mischievous behavior. As a young boy he took great delight in searching for and studying insects and reptiles. He spent hours hunting for and catching bullfrogs in the lake. He, and his brother Scott, would sit attentively, cuddled in their mother’s or grandmother’s lap for story time, asking a zillion questions. Derek loved non-fiction, he particularly loved learning about penguins. He also loved all the sports he played for Topsham Recreation Department, including soccer, basketball, and baseball. He looked forward to fishing at camp. At the age of 10, Derek learned to ski and snowboard. He loved the freedom of sailing through the air over a jump on his snowboard. He was bold and fearless. He also took to waterskiing quickly – after going around the loop on two skis he wanted to try one ski and got up his first try.

Derek loved spending a day at the beach with his family. These outings always included picking through the seaweed to find little sea creatures like hermit crabs and snails. He spent many weekends camping and hiking in Acadia with his aunts and cousins. As a child and as an adult, he loved spending overnights with his Nana and Papa at “camp” on Thompson Lake. He also loved showing them his favorite eateries when they would take him out in Portland for his birthday. He looked forward to the annual family lobster feed. Derek loved his family and family time, even though it was a struggle for him to participate in later years.

He is survived by his parents, Cheryl (Haynes) and Robert Ramsay; twin brother, Scott Ramsay of Portland, sister, Kristyn Ramsay and her husband, Robert Peters of Topsham; nieces Madison and Lyla Peters; maternal grandparents, Beverly and John Haynes of Oxford, paternal grandmother, Cleora “Perk” Ramsay of Bath; uncles Jerry Haynes and his wife Carrie of Minot, and Randy Ramsay of Portland, aunts and uncles Laurie (Haynes) St. Pierre and her husband Daniel of Auburn, Wendy (Haynes) Tardif and her husband Marc of Auburn, Lori (Ramsay) Rines and her husband Mark of Wiscasset; and many close cousins.

He was predeceased by his paternal grandfather, Bob Ramsay of Bath.

The family would like to thank the entire staff at Shalom House for their unending support, empathy, care, and compassion, not just for Derek and Scott, but for all those who are living with severe and persistent mental illness.

A celebration of Derek’s life will be held at The First Parish Church in Brunswick on Saturday, Oct. 5, at 2 p.m.

Donations in memory of Derek can be made to

Shalom House,

106 Gilman St.,

Portland, ME 04102,

https://shalomhouseinc.nationbuilder.com/

and/or

NAMI Maine,

52 Water St.,

Hallowell, ME 04347,

https://namimaine.org/donate/