John Allen Ramseyer, 64, passed away peacefully on August 29, 2023, at his family home in La Cañada Flintridge, California. He was surrounded by his wife, Ronda, and three children, Cole, Lauren, and Reese.
John Allen Ramseyer was born December 12, 1958, in Glendale, California, to Lowell and Helen Ramseyer. As an only child, he grew up in La Crescenta, California, and attended Mountain Avenue Elementary and Rosemont Junior High prior to his 1977 graduation from Crescenta Valley High School.
John Allen continued his education at the University of Arizona where he was a star linebacker and a member of the Wildcats’ 1979 Fiesta bowl team where he faced off with NFL Hall of Famer Dan Marino.
Upon graduation, John Allen successfully earned his Juris Doctorate at Whittier College of Law and was honored to study abroad at Oxford University’s Magdalene College, England. During law school, he was the recipient of the American Jurisprudence Award for achieving excellence in the study of criminal procedure.
In 1984, John Allen’s law school accomplishments qualified him as a student worker and later as a senior law clerk for the office of the district attorney of Los Angeles County. In 1987, he began his career as a deputy district attorney.
During his decades of dedicated service representing the people of Los Angeles County, John Allen held assignments in many diverse communities and in sensitive and specialized assignments including major narcotics, organized crime and hate crimes. He was a talented prosecutor and litigator with a uniquely impressive history of successful prosecutions of complex criminal cases, including sales, trafficking, and manufacturing of narcotics, as well as violent hate crime felonies and homicides. John Allen gained special expertise in methamphetamine lab prosecutions and was responsible for prosecuting one of the largest cocaine seizure cases handled by the district attorney’s office. He had extensive experience with Federal and State wiretap investigations and was responsible for drafting and supervising the first state wiretap involving a digital pager. During his career, John Allen vertically prosecuted cases in federal court via his appointment as a special assistant United States attorney.
As a multi-talented member of the DA’s office John Allen also assisted in the creation of new legislation to protect all Californians. He authored seven pieces of state legislation, six of which have been signed into law that involve narcotics, child abuse, hate crimes and terrorism. He served as a law enforcement advisor during the 2000 Democratic National Convention and drafted the Weapons of Mass Destruction in Chemical and Biological Terrorism Act which resulted in the creation of penal code sections 11415-11419.
His body of work as a deputy district attorney earned him in 2000 the California Narcotic Officers Association Prosecutor of the Year Award in recognition of outstanding service to the crime victims in California and his commitment to the protection of public safety.
John Allen retired in 2020, concluding his exemplary 36-year career with the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office.
While John Allen was proud of his accomplishments in the courtroom, nothing pleased him more than family. It was in a downtown courtroom in 1991 where John Allen first met the love of his life, Ronda. They married in 1994 and raised three children in a caring household where he was deeply involved as a husband, coach, and father. He was a football mentor and baseball coach to Cole, a gymnastics dad to Lauren and a softball and soccer coach to Reese.
John Allen expertly balanced his time as a prosecutor, role model, marathon runner and father, but found little more important than his life with Ronda. They cherished their active life with their children, frequently finding time to travel together and enjoy the splendor of the High Sierras.
His was a life of intense devotion to family and deep commitment to public safety. John Allen had the kindest, most gentle heart. No man gave more love in one lifetime as he.
John Allen was pre-deceased by his parents, Lowell and Helen Ramseyer. He is survived by his wife Ronda, son Cole, daughters Lauren (Dustin) and Reese. He also leaves behind his sister-in-law Bettina (Art) and many friends and colleagues.
Funeral services for John Allen Ramseyer are scheduled for Saturday, September 9, 2023, at 3:00 p.m. at Rose Hills’ Hillside Chapel.
