Susan Eileen Ramaglia, 72, passed away on Sunday, November 8, 2015 at her home in Anacortes surrounded by her loving family. She was born on January 2, 1943 in Hollywood, California to Fred and Eileen (O'Hearn) Pate. Her father worked at Columbia Pictures Movie Studio where her mother was a movie star. The family lived in California for the first few years of Susan’s life before moving to Normandy Park, Washington. She attended school in nearby Des Moines, Washington and in 1947 her brother, William, was born. Her parents were avid boaters and many family vacations were spent cruising Puget Sound and the San Juan Islands. As a child Susan enjoyed spending hours on the beach with her friend Carol collecting shells and colorful pebbles, which became a lifelong passion. Her family raised chinchillas for a time and she was an avid stamp collector in her youth. She always loved music and her favorite was Jazz. She graduated from Mt. Rainer in 1961and then attended the University of Hawaii for several quarters. Her early work life began as a secretary at the Boeing Company in Seattle and then various Social Service Agencies in Seattle. The last one was for the Center of Addiction Services where she was an administrative assistant / grant writer. She married in 1965 and her daughter, Amber, was born in 1967. Amber and Susan were much more than mother and daughter. They were best friends for life. In 1974 she met Jim Ramaglia at a Women's Self Defense class he was teaching. They married in 1976 and moved to Kodiak, Alaska where Susan immediately became in involved in the Kodiak community. Always an advocate for helping people, she started as a secretary at the Kodiak Council on Alcoholism and ended up as Executive Director of the agency. She then ran the Daycare Assistance Program, helping working parents pay for child care. Susan served on many boards including Kodiak Women's Resource Center and Kodiak Council on Alcoholism. In her family life her children were always number one and in 1978 her son, Justin, was born. Amber married Fred Lindsey in 1990 which brought Susan new loves to her life, grandchildren, Susan and James Lindsey. In 1999 Susan and Jim moved to Anacortes looking for warm dry weather and Susan fell in love with the area. She loved walking on the local beaches and taking drives through the Skagit Valley. She found a new passion for helping people, advocating for people with mental illness. She served on various committees, boards, and taught classes to help family members understand and cope with loved ones who have mental illness. She has been one of the driving forces in NAMI Skagit (a local affiliate of the National Alliance on Mental Illness) for many years. Susan will be remembered by her family as a loving and devoted mother, grandmother and wife. She had a kind, gentle sprit with a passion for life and helping people who are less fortunate. Susan is survived by her husband, Jim; a son, Justin Ramaglia; a daughter and son-in-law, Amber and Fred Lindsey; 2 grandchildren, James and Susan Lindsey and a brother, William Pate. Donations in memory of Susan's life and passion for helping others can be made to NAMI Skagit, Box 546, Mt. Vernon, WA, 98273. A Memorial Service will be held at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, November 14, 2015 at Evans Funeral Chapel in Anacortes with a Reception to follow. Arrangements are in the care of Evans Funeral Chapel and Crematory, Inc., Anacortes, WA and the San Juan Islands. To share memories of Susan, please sign the online guest register at www.evanschapel.com.