Ramos was 69 years old. He died during a trail run, his wife wrote.
“Billy is my East, my West, my North and South,” Perry wrote in the post. Ramos and Perry have two children together: Maya and Max. “I don’t know how I’ll do this without him. Prayers for him, for us, please.”
Ramos had represented the 5th Legislative District, which stretches from Issaquah to Snoqualmie Pass to Enumclaw, since 2019. He first served in Washington’s House of Representatives and was voted into the state Senate in November. Before the statehouse, Ramos was on the Issaquah City Council from 2016 to 2019.
Many lawmakers and others from across the state expressed shock and sadness Sunday morning on social media.
Gov. Bob Ferguson said he was “deeply saddened” and that the “shocking death is difficult to process.”
“Bill was a dedicated public servant and a delightful person,” Ferguson said.
Senate Majority Leader Jamie Pedersen, D-Seattle, called the news a “devastating loss” not only for the caucus, but for the state.
The King County Council released a statement calling Ramos a “true public servant whose passion for his community never wavered.”
“He was not only a hardworking and effective legislator, but a personal friend to many of us at King County and the beloved husband of our colleague, Councilmember Sarah Perry,” they wrote. “Bill will be remembered as a dedicated family member with the heart of an adventurer and a love of the woods.”
Ramos grew up in East Oakland and attended Humboldt State University in Arcata, Calif., where he earned a bachelor’s degree in forest sciences. Ramos would go on to work for the U.S. Forest Service in North Bend and Enumclaw as director of timber management, director of recreation and public services, and director of the ecosystem management, according to his biography on his legislative page.
He also worked for the U.S. Department of Transportation in the Federal Transit Administration from 2005 to 2013 as a community planner, specializing in the Tribal Transit Program and rural and small urban area transit systems. As the federal tribal liaison for the agency, Ramos worked to improve public transit on tribal lands with 56 tribes in the Pacific Northwest and Alaska.
As a state House representative, Ramos was chair of the State Government and Tribal Affairs Committee and vice chair of the Latino Democratic Caucus. In the Senate, Ramos was vice chair on the Senate Transportation Committee and a member of the Senate Members of Color Caucus.
As a vice chair of the House Transportation Committee, he helped craft a nearly $17 billion transportation funding package in 2022, providing large-scale investments for Washington’s highways, ferries and infrastructure for bikes and pedestrians.
Ramos’ connection to the land and people were foundational for his career as a public servant, Perry said. In a statement Sunday, she said Ramos “died doing what he loved — running on one of the many trails near our Issaquah home.”
“For Bill, these runs were a way to relieve stress during a busy legislative session, a way to stay active — and exercise our dog Sadie — and a way to reconnect to the forests and hills he loved that shaped his career,” Perry wrote.
Outside the statehouse, Ramos ran Dance All Night from 1996 to 2013, teaching ballroom, salsa, swing and Latin dancing, according to his campaign website.
“Losing my dance partner in life — and public service — is a shocking and unimaginable loss,” Perry said.
Rep. Mari Leavitt, D-University Place, said on X that her “heart breaks” for Perry and the family.
“We just had the best catch-up conversation over a meal at a labor meeting,” she said. “He was full of plans.”
Others, from U.S. Rep. Kim Schrier to the regional chamber of commerce, expressed condolences.
“Senator Ramos was more than just a political figure; he was a beloved pillar of our Eastside King County community, dedicating his life to service and making a positive impact on everyone he encountered,” the SnoValley Chamber of Commerce posted on Facebook.
Details on how Ramos’ life will be celebrated will be shared soon, his wife wrote.
Seattle Times reporter Taylor Blatchford contributed to this story.
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