City of Oaks Funeral Home & Cremation
Obituary
Louis D. Ramos, II
Durham, North Carolina
Age 73.
Died 09/05/2025.
December 17, 1951 – September 5, 2025
Louis Daniel Ramos II, 73, of Durham, NC, passed away peacefully on September 5, 2025, surrounded by family at Duke University Hospital. A Celebration of Life will be held on October 11 at 3pm at Tierra Negra of the Earthseed Farm Collective in Durham.
Born in Harlem Hospital to Luis and Esther Ramos of San Germán, Puerto Rico, Louis was raised on Manhattan’s Lower East Side with his sister Carmen. A spirited child with a mischievous smile, he grew up immersed in the cultural richness of Harlem, sharing stories of Catholic school, family outings to Bear Mountain, and the rhythms of his Puerto Rican heritage.
As a teen, Louis joined the Young Lords, advocating for justice through community programs alongside the Black Panthers. He later founded his own youth initiative, always committed to uplifting others. A martial artist, storyteller, and activist, Louis believed in “good trouble” and lived with purpose.
Louis was a lifelong learner and innovator. After graduating from Harlem Prep, he earned a self-designed degree from SUNY Binghamton and later a Master of Arts in Children’s Development through the Arts. He remained deeply connected to the Latin music scene, producing “Que Viva La Musica” on WHRW and serving on the board of WUCI, New York State’s first Black-founded nonprofit radio station.
A passionate educator and cultural advocate, Louis co-founded the Kuumba Cultural Arts Resource Center with his beloved wife and creative partner, Veleria Thompson Ramos. Together, they brought African American, Afro-Caribbean, and Afro-Puerto Rican traditions to life through dance, drumming, storytelling, and ritual. Their work spanned decades, communities, and generations—including their four children.
Louis taught West African and Caribbean dance at Binghamton University and worked as a counselor, mentor, and educator in youth homes, prisons, schools, and colleges. After moving to North Carolina, he continued his service through Kwanzaa celebrations, school performances, and engagement with Bomba Yo, Chuck Davis, and Earthseed Bomba community.
A deeply spiritual man, Louis practiced Ifa and honored his ancestors daily through ceremony and art. He was a collector of heart rocks, greeting cards, Halloween masks, and children’s books that reflected the beauty of his community. He was a romantic, a prankster, and a devoted father who brought magic to everyday life.
Louis is predeceased by his parents Luis and Esther Ramos, parents-in-law Harris and Ethel Thompson, and brothers-in-law Allen “G,” Vinson, and Cedric Thompson. He is survived by his wife of 46 years, Veleria; sister Carmen “Tita”; brother-in-law Bradford (Dorothy) Thompson; Aunts Brenda Duprey and Cosetta Ortiz; children Justin, Yalitza (Greg), Angeni, and Molefi; granddaughters Tatum, Jaylyn, Avani, Briella, Lyric, Loiza, and Alaina; and a host of cousins, nieces, nephews, godchildren, and wide circle of beloved friends and chosen family.
Louis leaves behind a legacy of love, creativity, and cultural pride. His spirit lives on in every rhythm, every story, and every life he touched.
For additional information or for service details, please reach out to the family directly.
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City of Oaks Cremation and Funeral Home is a full-service funeral home in Raleigh, serving all of North Carolina and beyond. We provide an alternative to costly funeral homes and every day we help families in Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill and all over North Carolina make simple, affordable funeral arrangements.
Simply having to reach out to a funeral home can feel overwhelming. Our goal is to simplify the entire funeral home experience and make the process as easy as possible. We hope to eliminate any unnecessary surprises by publishing our total cost and the services we provide directly on our website. All of our obituaries are provided free of charge as a way to help families celebrate and commemorate the lives of their loved ones.
Our Promise
Apples to Apples
Just like all other licensed funeral homes in North Carolina, City of Oaks Cremation, LLC is regulated by the NC Board of Funeral Service.
The same laws that apply to the big corporate funeral homes also apply to the modest independently owned firms like ours. All crematories in North Carolina, regardless of who owns them, are inspected annually by the state and must adhere to the same rules and laws.
Genuine Care
We're committed to providing families within our community unsurpassed service before, during and after the time of loss.
Our staff will provide clear communication to your family through each step as we move forward from the original phone call notifying us of a death to the time we deliver the urn back to your family. We will treat your family with the utmost respect, as we honor the wishes of your loved one.
We promise to make this process affordable and as endurable as possible.
State Wide
Our Funeral Home is located in Wake County NC; however, we provide our services to families throughout the entire State.
Unlike other funeral homes, we don't charge an additional mileage fee. Regardless of what county you live in, we can help your family with making simple, affordable funeral arrangements. From Asheville to Wilmington, we're proud to help families statewide.
Our Services
$1196.75
Nobody likes surprise costs added in at the last minute. We guarantee you will not find any hidden charges here. We include everything you need for a simple or direct cremation. Simple, affordable and reliable. We have not changed the cost of our direct cremation service since we opened City of Oaks in 2012.
$2875.66
We offer the option of choosing how you receive your loved ones remains. Selecting our Direct Cremation with Solidified Remains option is a beautiful way to transform cremated remains into 40-60 “stones” that you can hold.
$1917.84
City of Oaks Funeral Home and Cremation provides an affordable cremation option with onsite visitation. Nobody likes surprise costs added in at the last minute. We guarantee you will not find any hidden charges here. Simple, affordable and reliable.
$1596.75
City of Oaks Funeral Home and Cremation provides an affordable cremation with a private family viewing. A private family viewing allows up to 10 immediate family members or friends to spend time with a loved one when a public visitation is not preferred.
$2497.50
An immediate burial has the same end result as a traditional burial; however, we have eliminated the extra (sometimes unnecessary) services prior to getting to the cemetery. Not everyone wants an open casket for viewing or a limousine for the family. Despite the term immediate, we can move as fast as you need or as slow as you like. This option simply allows you to save money by eliminating some of the fancy extras at the funeral home.
$6081.48
We offer the same traditional funeral services as the big corporately owned funeral homes in the area; however, we cost about half the amount. You might consider a traditional funeral service if your family is looking for an open casket visitation, a traditional church service or a funeral service in the funeral home's chapel. A traditional funeral service can be altered to fit the needs of your family.
$3033.75
This establishment is one of a select number of funeral homes who meet the criteria for providing green funeral service by the Green Burial Council; a tax-exempt, nonprofit organization working to encourage environmentally sustainability in the field of funeral service. Our Green options allow for a funeral to take place without the use of toxic and non-biodegradable materials/chemicals.
$2640.59
As an alternative to traditional cremation, City of Oaks Funeral Home also offers Aquamation. The Aquamation process, often referred to as alkaline hydrolysis, uses a solution of water and potassium hydroxide to facilitate natural decomposition.