Maria Amparo (Ruan) Casas

Maria Amparo Casas (nee Ruan) of Ramsey, New Jersey, passed away on April 24, 2024.  She was 80 years old.

Licky, as she was lovingly called by her family and friends, is survived by her husband of 57 years, Antonio Casas; her sister Graciela Echaurren and her brother Alfonso Ruan; her sons Antonio, Alberto and Michael, and their respective wives Allison, Danielle and Jennifer; and her seven loving grandchildren, Alissa, Emily, Evan, Alex, Matthew, Tyler and Landyn. She was predeceased by her parents Alfonso Ruan Armas and Marina Gomez Parra, and siblings Marina Vieytez and Betty Stephens.

Licky, the youngest of five children, was born on March 30, 1944 in Cucuta, Colombia. She spent most of her childhood in Lausanne, Switzerland, where she attended primary and secondary schools. She completed her secondary education in Montreal, Canada and then moved to Washington, DC to attend Georgetown Visitation Junior College.  She received an associate’s degree in 1964. She spoke Spanish, French and English fluently.

Licky met her husband Tony in Washington D.C.  They dated for three years before marrying on July 2, 1966 and moving to Spain.  They moved back to the United States in 1971 and lived in Maryland for a short period of time before settling in Ramsey N.J. in 1976.  Their sons Tony and Alberto were born in Spain, and their youngest son, Michael, was born in the United States. All three were raised in Ramsey.        

Licky was a loving and devoted wife, mother, grandmother and friend. She was an amazing cook and loved creating authentic meals for family and friends. She most enjoyed spending time gathered together with the people she loved. Spending the holidays with her family was important to her, especially the annual tradition of Casas Christmas Eve. She loved spending time with her grandchildren, supporting them in all of their extracurricular activities. Licky was passionate, caring and selfless.   

Licky enjoyed the company of many friends that she considered family, including the Ferones, Gattis and Schampers.

A Celebration of Life Memorial will be held on Friday, May 10, 2024 from 4-8 pm at Van Emburgh-Sneider-Pernice Funeral Home, 109 Darlington Avenue, Ramsey, NJ. A funeral mass will be held at St. Paul’s Church in Ramsey, NJ on Saturday, May 11 at 10:00am

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation of a memorial gift in honor of Licky to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

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