In Etna and among those who knew him, Pete Ramage will be remembered as someone who always “stepped up.” The longtime community pillar died on Jan. 17 at 86.

Ramage was born Oct. 30, 1938, to the late Peter and Margaret Ramage. He graduated from Etna High School in 1956 and served as a Navy communications technician for four years. In 1965, he earned his education degree from Duquesne University, followed by a master’s degree in 1968 and a Principal Administrator’s certificate in 1972.

A longtime math teacher, Ramage spent over 30 years working for the Pittsburgh Public School system. When All Saints School in Etna required a principal in 1998, he stepped up for the role until Hurricane Ivan shuttered the school in 2004. He also served as interim principal of Millvale’s Holy Spirit School in 2006.

In 1970, Ramage began representing Etna’s 2nd Ward on borough council, a position he held for 52 years — 46 of which he was council president.

He helped steer Etna through decades of economic and population decline, numerous floods and occasional budget difficulties while playing an integral role in the borough’s present-day advances.

“He was a person who took family members’ and friends’ pain into himself,” said his wife, Mary Ellen Ramage. “He would just keep you going even though you knew he was suffering, too.”

Mary Ellen, the borough manager for more than 45 years, and Pete were married Aug. 1, 1997, after working together for years. Mary Ellen said the first time the two went to dinner, they talked for hours until the restaurant staff notified them that they had closed a half-hour ago.

At the next council meeting, Pete announced that he and Mary Ellen were dating and offered to resign. But fellow councilors, excited by the couple, threw out the idea of resignation.

Filled with deep faith, Pete was heavily involved in what is now St. Matthew Parish and the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, a Catholic charitable organization.

Once when the society needed home furniture, Mary Ellen came home to find Pete and others carrying the family’s own furniture out of the house to donate.

Dave Becki worked on borough council with Pete for more than 30 years. Though the two often “butted heads” in the beginning, they developed a rapport and would sometimes go out for a drink after council meetings.

Becki said Pete was “the most patient man in the world” and “deeply compassionate.” Amid council feuding between the two in 1990, Becki crashed his car and could not make appointments. Pete, Becki said, immediately lent him his own vehicle even though he was “sure they were adversaries.”

“Aside from all the accolades for all he did for his community, for his church, for his family, I remember how kind and compassionate he was,” Becki said.

In 2004, Pete was serving as the borough’s emergency management coordinator, mostly because no one else wanted the job, Becki said. That September, Hurricane Ivan left more than 400 homes flooded and several feet of water throughout Etna. Pete was integral in the recovery process, Becki said.

Despite his numerous responsibilities, Becki said he always remembered Pete putting his family first. Once, he said, Pete arrived late at a meeting because he was helping one of his nine grandchildren with a math problem.

Pete and his first wife, Margaret “Peggy” Burgo, adopted two sets of twin girls. Burgo died of cancer in 1987 at 40.

Christine Balistrieri, the oldest of the four girls by a few minutes, said her father was “strict but loving,” and she remembers his great sense of humor.

When she and her sisters were out in the community, she said they were always conscious of their behavior because of their respect for their father. At home, she said he was playful and often sat between her and her twin, Colleen, as he tutored them in math.

Balistrieri said her father was integral in getting the funds to build All Saints Church’s activity building, which she said he would visit every day during its construction. At All Saints, Ramage ran church bingo for more than 50 years, eventually involving his children and grandchildren in what Balistrieri called “the family business.”

Pete and Mary Ellen frequently traveled. When they could not find a church, she said the two would seek out a mountain or a trail to “share their faith.” Pete once surprised Mary Ellen with a trip to the Galapagos Islands, which he knew was one of her lifelong dreams.

Ramage retired from borough council in 2022, receiving numerous proclamations in his honor. At the time, he said he was proudest that in all the negotiations between the borough and its police and public works staff, there was never a strike during his tenure.

Daniele Rothmeyer-McElhaney, who now represents Etna’s 2nd Ward, said she still will look to Pete for “guidance from above.”

Before she ran for Ramage’s old seat, she said she sought his blessing. He and Mary Ellen were the first two to sign her election petition.

Rothmeyer-McElhaney said Pete was “simple and to the point,” but like a teacher he gave her “the tools to answer a question.” Between the loss of Pete and Etna’s former mayor, Tom Rengers in December 2023, Rothmeyer-McElhaney said Etna has been “humbled.”

But the foundations Pete set are still there, Megan Tuñón said.

Tuñón served on council for six years and now serves as the executive director of the Etna Community Organization, an organization she said Pete was integral in building.

A resident of Etna since 2014, Tuñón said the community is “indebted” to Pete and other longtime leaders for sticking it out during hard times.

Though Pete stood front and center during the ribbon-cutting for the Triboro Ecodistrict — a community development group in Millvale, Etna and Sharpsburg — Tuñón said he never sought credit for his work.

After planning sessions for the organization, she said Pete stayed to do the dishes.

“I hope there are more people who become engaged and involved and see him as an inspiration for the right way to serve the community,” Tuñón said.

Pete is survived by his wife of 28 years, Mary Ellen Ramage; his twin daughters, Colleen Ramage and Christine (Joseph) Balistrieri and Connie (Tom) Elrick and Carla (Chaz) Minnich; and nine grandchildren, Jason, Sarah, Joshua, Michael, Lauren, Chloe, Callie, Alex and Noah. He also is survived by his sister, Joanne Tomiczek (John), of Lower Burrell, and numerous nieces and nephews. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his first wife of 23 years, Margaret “Peggy” Burgo, and his sister, Marion Saeli (Tom).

His funeral was held Jan. 23 at All Saints Church in Etna.

In Oregon, Mary Ellen said the two watched as the Pacific waves rhythmically battered a stone on a beach. She said it reminded her of Pete, “a steady presence no matter what beats against it.” Between the two of them, there is exactly 100 years of public service dedicated to Etna.