Joan Gilliam Ramey

Joan Gilliam Ramey passed away on June 25, 2022. She was 90 years old. Born In Athens, Tennessee, Joan had a life-long love of horses, sports, and the outdoors. Joan obtained her BA in Sociology from Duke University, and her Master's in Education from Xavier University. Shortly thereafter, Joan began Ramey Tennis Schools for girls at Bemidji State University in Bemidji, MN. What was initially a two-week summer project expanded into a nationally renowned tennis instruction program, at 5 different college campuses in Ohio, Indiana, and Minnesota, teaching tennis to hundreds of students every year. Later, Joan moved to the Owensboro area where she started Our Tennis House, providing an indoor tennis facility for the local tennis community, as well as a place of instruction for tennis students from all over the United States. She was the first woman tennis coach of a men's college tennis program in history, at Kentucky Wesleyan University in Owensboro, and she ultimately became one of fewer than 200 United States Professional Tennis Association Master Tennis Professionals.

Joan's love of horses eventually took hold, and she moved to Rockport, Indiana. There, she designed and built her dream home (and barn), became a Certified Horsemanship Association (CHA) Riding Instructor and provided horse boarding and riding instruction to children and adults. She loved nothing more than looking out from her front porch, over her garden and pastures, listening to the birds, and watching her horses contentedly graze as the sun set. Joan was a devoted Christian.

Joan's drive and energy spilled over to her children, and she was a proud mother of 3 children, David Ramey, a veterinarian for horses, Diane Turner, a sales executive, and Laura Marble, an emergency room physician, as well as 7 grandchildren, and 5 great-grandchildren.

A remembrance for Joan will be held at the Glenn Funeral Home, 900 Old Hartford Rd., Owensboro, KY, 42303, from 5 – 7 pm on Friday, July 22, 2022. She will be laid to rest the following day next to her parents, Joseph and Frances Gilliam, in Athens, TN.

In lieu of flowers, expressions of sympathy may take the form of crontributions to the Audubon Society at https://act.audubon.org/a/donate-monthly-search?ms=digital-fund-ppc-google-monthly-20210000_branded&gclid=CjwKCAjw2f-VBhAsEiwAO4lNeAigsFGNDfR-3wFVDIYsNGfeP-9Unx-UBad1JHJzDftDGKtvVFiGZRoCaKwQAvD_BwE

Memories and messages of condolence may be shared with the family at www.glenncares.com.