DETROIT -- A funeral will be held Wednesday for Arthur Ramsey Sr., a member of the Negro League Hall of Fame in Ashland, Ky.
Ramsey, who played second baseman with several teams in the Negro National League in the 1940s and 1950s, died July 31 at his Detroit home after a long illness.
He was 63.
The Kentucky native broke into the Negro League in 1945 with the Knoxville Giants. He later played for the Homestead Grays and Pittsburgh Crawfords, two legendary teams in the era of racial segregation in professional baseball.
Ramsey moved to Detroit in 1954 after finishing his professional career with clubs in Minneapolis and Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. He was a charter member of the Old-Timers' All Stars, a team of retired players formed in Detroit in 1982. He also was a member of the Afro-American Sports Hall of Fame Gallery.
Ramsey is survived by his wife, Anita; two sons, Arthur Jr. and Tyrus; two daughters, Sheila Whitehorn and Pamela Randolph; six grandchildren; three brothers, and three sisters.
Services will at 11 a.m. Wednesday at Word of Faith Christian Center, with burial in Woodlawn Cemetery. A memorial service also will be held at 1 p.m. Saturday prior to a 3 p.m. exhibition game between the Old-Timers and the Indianapolis Clowns at the University of Detroit.
