December 6, 1951 — March 26, 2023
Tomas H. Ramirez passed away in Reno, Nevada due to AIDS-related complications.
Tomas was an East Los Angeles native and came to the Bay Area in 1970 to attend St. Mary's College in Moraga. He received a bachelor's degree in Latin American studies, was active in the Chicano student movement, and demonstrated a lifelong interest in social justice.
After graduating from college, Tomas worked as a waiter in Yosemite National Park and then moved to San Francisco in the late 1970s. He was active in the lesbian/gay and union democracy caucuses within the Hotel and Restaurant Workers Union Local 2 and subsequently held a number of positions within the hospitality industry. Tomas served as board president of the Mission Community Cultural Center for Latino Arts. He volunteered for Access, a reproductive rights advocacy organization, organized neighborhood tree plantings in the Mission and Glen Park neighborhoods, and participated in an early people of color AIDS civil disobedience action. He was an excellent cook and a San Francisco Giants fan. Tomas traveled extensively and spent a year touring Latin America.
Tomas is survived by his partner Rodney; nephews Jim Jr., Michael, and Matthew; godchildren Ceirin and Chiah; and numerous grandnieces and grandnephews. He will be remembered as someone who lived life to the fullest.
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