Nickolas Ramus Obituary

Nickolas George Ramus, Jr., 72, passed away at home in San Marcos, Texas on July 24, 2025.

He was born on October 21, 1952 in Spokane, Washington and spent much of his childhood in Seattle and Spokane, Washington and Salem, Oregon. There "Nicko" began his lifelong passion for cooking when he stayed home from school by pretending to be sick to watch Julia Child, and made a mess of his mother's kitchen. A member of the Blackfeet Nation and the grandchild of a Greek immigrant, these familial inheritances played a large role in shaping him as a person.

He had a deep abiding respect for military service. He volunteered for the Navy in 1970, and he was the only person in his class to be accepted into the nuclear engineering program without a two year degree. After his honorable discharge, he pursued his passion for cooking. He apprenticed under Chef Walter Roth, one of the country's best chefs at the time, and completed his culinary education while on assignment across Europe in France, Germany, Switzerland, Greece, and Israel.

After working in some of the most prestigious hotels in Los Angeles, he relocated his family to San Antonio, briefly, and then permanently to San Marcos, Texas. There, he became the executive and managing chef for special event catering at Texas (then Southwest Texas) State University. Even while pursuing a quieter, more stable life, his culinary expertise sent him across the country for special events, including to the presidential inaugurations of Gerald Ford and Ronald Reagan. His artistry stretched beyond cuisine to pastry design, baking, and ice carving; and he served notable politicians, singers, actors, the San Marcos community during the LBJ celebration, and the welcome of new students in the fall to the college. He also was a longtime member, and then president, of Chaines des Rotisseurs of San Antonio.

Nick's talents and interests were wide ranging. A lifelong lover of learning and deeply intelligent, he enjoyed discussing philosophy, quantum mechanics, astrophysics, life sciences, religion, politics, history, and computing. He was unfailingly kind and generous in spirit to those who knew him, and eloquent and heartfelt in expressing himself to those who loved him.

Nick was preceded in death by his parents, Harriet Mary Howard and Nickolas George Ramus, Sr. He is survived by his daughter Ponokah Pokah ("Ponah") Gillespie, grandchildren, Ila and Anora Gillespie, lifelong companion and sister of the heart, Juanita Camareno, older sister, Sophia M. Adamson, and younger brother, Dimitri Alexander Ramus.

The family extends their heartfelt gratitude to Kendra, Mary, and the rest of the staff at Elara Caring Home Hospice for their support and tender care that eased Nick's final days. We are forever grateful for their kindness and compassion.

Services will be held at Fort Sam Houston Cemetery at 1:15 pm on Tuesday, August 5, 2025.

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