Tri-Cities student lost her mom at age 10. She helped hold her family together, and more
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As a young child, Yarelly Ramirez’s mom would tell her to always reach for the stars and to do what she loves.
“Querer es poder,” she would tell her. “If you’re willing to, you can achieve it.”
But her advice began to feel more like a test when her mom died eight years ago giving birth to her brother.
Ramirez — 10 years old and the oldest of her four siblings — had some growing up to do, and fast.
“I was in disbelief,” she told the Tri-City Herald. “I feel like it really took time to come to terms that that happened. It never felt real until a year after, and that’s when we really adjusted to life and how it was different.”
Despite the extra work she’s had to put in helping her father keep the household together, Ramirez has maintained a 3.78 GPA, a part-time job and has attended two years of Running Start college classes.
Her hard work and dedication will be recognized at 6 p.m. Saturday, June 11, when she and 460 other Pasco Bulldogs cross the stage at Edgar Brown Stadium during commencement.
She’s also graduating from Columbia Basin College with her associate’s degree on June 17, and will be the first in her family to earn a college diploma.
This fall, she plans on attending Washington State University in Pullman to study elementary education, hoping one day to “teach kids to advocate for themselves.”
“I want to give them a spark. I want them to be creative. And I feel like a lot of kids don’t have that,” she said.
Some may also know Ramirez as a standout varsity bowler. She’s played with the Bulldogs team all four years, been to state finals twice and led the team this year in strikeouts.
Her father, Raul, recently fought back tears talking about his oldest child’s accomplishments.
“She’s my pride and joy, every way you look at it,” he said. “I just feel so proud of her — with everything she’s been through.”
A family grieving
Ana Gutierrez-Ramirez died early on a Saturday morning in April 2014, giving birth to her fifth child, Raul Ramirez Jr.
It’s believed she suffered an amniotic fluid embolism, a rare fatal complication. She began to feel ill while in labor and lost consciousness.
After her heart stopped beating, the doctors focused on saving their son.
Her death struck the family — as well as the community — quickly. She was just a few days shy from her 38th birthday, KEPR reported at the time.
Gutierrez-Ramirez was the type of mother who would put down anything at a moment’s notice to help family or a neighbor, her family says.
“Every time someone needed something, she was there,” Yarelly remembers. “I feel like that shines a light through me and my siblings, for sure.”
Her dad, who was working 12-hour days as a telecommunications contractor and often missed his children’s sports competitions and events, suddenly found his world upside down.
He still misses her cooking, her fresh tortillas and other dishes. Suddenly, his family was scraping by on spaghetti and hot dogs.
“A lot of time, being a single parent, it’s not easy,” he said.
“I think that was one of the biggest adjustments, like, ‘What do we eat now,’” said Yarelly.
She stepped up, though, watching her siblings and caring for them while her dad was at work. Once she got her driver’s license, she started picking up groceries and taking her siblings to and from school. Raul Ramirez found a new job and reduced his hours.
And more recently, he also took on a part-time job at Outback Steakhouse.
“We’ve found a way that works,” she said.
Key moments
Raul Ramirez said his daughter has grown up in the blink of an eye.
A large canvas photograph of Ramirez in her elegant, red quinceanera dress hangs along the staircase. In the photo, she poses next to her mother’s gravestone.
Even with the support of her family and aunts, that was a tough day for Yarelly.
“It’s a mother-daughter thing,” she said. “You plan it with your mom and you get ready for it with your mom.”
Thinking about other future “firsts” she’ll go through without her mother by her side is tough, she admitted. But she’s found other ways to remember her. Many photos of Ana are displayed here and there throughout the house.
“I’ve come to terms that she’s still here. Her spirit is still in this house. I feel her,” Yarelly said.
And she’s nervous for her next big step — leaving for college.
She has a feeling her siblings may need more guidance and plans to return often to visit.
“We’ll make it through,” said her dad. “Just like we have in the past.”
This story was originally published June 9, 2022 at 5:00 AM.
