Lena Ramsey Banta, 95, of Tampa, FL, went home to be with the Lord on December 30, 2018. She was a proud native of a small little town named Stop, Kentucky. Lena served in the US Navy during World War II. She graduated with a bachelor’s degree from Lipscomb University and had several civil service jobs in her earlier years. Lena moved to the Tampa Bay area from Chattanooga, Tennessee in 1975. She went back to school for a master’s degree and was a professor at Florida College in Temple Terrace teaching business classes. More importantly, Lena is a member of the Church of Christ and worshipped and worked with the congregation at North Blvd for the past 40 years. Her spiritual family at North Blvd was a great source of joy, comfort, and help in her final days on this earth. She is preceded in death by her husband of almost 60 years, Arnold Douglas Banta, and her parents: Cicero Ramsey and Bernetta Ramsey, sisters: Ila Clark, Della Wood, Lydia Smith, and Laura McElroy, brothers: Obie and Roy Ramsey, and grandchildren: Michael Colon and Kaitlyn Smith. Lena is survived by a sister, Flonnie Ferguson and her four daughters: Debbie Sheppard of Tampa, Julia Colon of Riverview, Kimberly Conrad of Tampa, and Kitty Smith and her husband, Daniel of Wesley Chapel, grandchildren: Mark Colon, Maria Snider, Jackie Vogt, Cassie Conrad, Hunter Smith, and Hannah Smith and six great-grandchildren: Emma Snider, Ava Snider, Jayden Crabb, Bryson Colon, Jayce Vogt, and Jaxson Vogt.
MEMORIAL CONTRIBUTIONS may be made to:
North Blvd Church of Christ, 14901 N Blvd, Tampa, FL 33613.
I just found out today that Lena had passed away so I looked up her obituary. A mutual friend of ours is in town from Minnesota are we are making plans to get together. I planned to call Lena to see if she could join us. All of us worked at the VA Hospital. I would have talked to Lena sooner but I was in a bad automobile accident on New Year’s Eve and lost a good part of this year. I am so sorry to hear that she is no longer with us.