Obituary of Ramona Josephine Duran

Ramona J. Duran (8/26/1949 – 5/26/2020) of El Dorado Hills, CA, also known to many family and friends as “Roma”, passed away on May 26, 2020 at the age of 70. Ramona is survived by her husband of 52 years, Lawrence (Larry) Duran, and her son Randy and his wife Kei, and her grandchildren Maiya and James. She is also survived by her brother Joseph Febbraro and his wife Vivian from Trinidad, Colorado, and her sister Minnie Payne from Las Vegas, Nevada, and numerous nephews and nieces. Ramona was born in Trinidad, Colorado and was raised on her parents’ (Joe and Roma Febbraro) ranch in the southern Colorado foothills 10 miles west of the little town of Aguilar (pop. 600). Growing up on the ranch, she attended elementary school in a one-room school that combined children in grades one through six. Later she was bussed to Aguilar for junior high and high school, where she excelled academically and was a cheerleader. It was there that she met and started dating her future husband, Larry Duran. After high school, while Larry was serving in the U.S. Army in Vietnam, Ramona attended Southern Colorado State College for one year (now Colorado State University – Pueblo). When Larry returned from Vietnam, they were married, and she accompanied him to Germany where he served in the Army, and where their son Randy was born. Upon leaving the Army, Larry enrolled at the University of Colorado – Boulder, and the following year Ramona also enrolled at CU-Boulder to resume her education. She graduated from CU with her Bachelor’s degree in Education. Larry then enrolled at the University of Wisconsin – Madison for graduate study, and the following year Ramona also enrolled at UW-Madison in the School of Education where she received her Master’s degree as a Reading Specialist. Ever since she was a little girl, Ramona knew she wanted to be a teacher. Her first job was teaching middle school in Racine, Wisconsin, which was quite challenging given that many of the rowdy kids were bigger than her. The following year she began teaching in elementary school as a reading teacher. After three years in Racine, Larry took a job in Washington, DC, and Ramona worked as a Reading Specialist in in Frederick County, Maryland, where she taught elementary students for six years. When Larry finished law school, they moved to Sacramento, California, while their son Randy remained on the East Coast to attend college at MIT. In Sacramento, Ramona worked as a Reading Specialist with the Rio Linda School District, which later was merged into the Twin Rivers School District. She also worked extensively with the Sacramento County Office of Education (SCOE) training classroom teachers in the area of teaching reading to students on the lower reading spectrum. After teaching for 35 years, Ramona retired from her teaching position with Twin Rivers in 2011. She then took a position as an adjunct professor with the School of Education of the University of San Francisco - Sacramento campus. She taught at USF until she was diagnosed with cancer in December 2019. This position was her dream job, where she was able to capitalize on her many years of teaching experience to shape and groom future teachers. Ramona was very active over the years with the Sacramento Area Reading Association, and the California Reading Association, and served as CRA President in 2000-2001. She has also been honored as Teacher of the Year for Sacramento County. Over the years, Larry and Ramona have traveled extensively around the country, and visited some 10 countries. Much of their foreign travel was in connection to their many trips to Singapore to see their grandchildren, Maiya and James, who were the treasure of her heart. Aside from travel, Ramona was a voracious reader, an excellent cook, and enjoyed theater and being out in nature. She was also a terrific wife, mother, and grandmother. PLEASE SEE MEMORIAL SERVICE DATE AND LOCATION UPDATE