Celebrant Pam Meily Vetter


	Celebrating Life Everyone Has A Story...

Ulysses "Sonny" Ramirez Correa was born in 1912, in Manila, Philippines. He was born into a large family with six siblings. When he was a young boy, his parents passed away when one of his older brothers went missing. It was said that his parents died of broken hearts. Sonny moved to live with his aunt in a Victorian existence. He had happy memories of walking to school in the seaside community with his siblings.

After he graduated from high school in Manila, he set out to join his three sisters Dolores, Angela, and Felicidad, who had already moved to Southern California. He was only 19, but he saw opportunity waiting for him in the United States.

Sonny's first journey was traveling, he spent five weeks on a freighter, stopping in different ports such as Shanghai, Hong Kong, Taipei, and Honolulu, before reaching the United States. When he arrived, he moved in with one of his sisters. He was very close to his sisters. In fact, he was greatly influenced by them, holding great respect for his older sisters. He looked up to them and learned from them. They enjoyed taking road trips around California to San Diego or Santa Barbara.

Sonny learned how to drive in Los Angeles by getting in the car and driving, even to downtown. Later, he earned his driver's license. He found work quickly, getting a job at the Wilshire Country Club. He also worked as a bellhop at the Windsor Hotel on Rossmore. He witnessed a man jumping out of the building when the market crashed during the Great Depression.

His journey continued across the United States. He worked at restaurants in Chicago and New York. When he returned to Los Angeles, he voluntarily enlisted in the Army. But, he had fallen in love with a young woman, Irehne, who he met in Chinatown at a dance. Before he shipped off for the Army, he married Irehne in April 1943. Because of marriage and race laws in California, the couple couldn't be married in California and drove to New Mexico where they exchanged traditional vows.

Sonny shipped out with the Army during World War II and quickly became an attaché to General Douglas MacArthur in the Philippines and Pacific where he had access to high level, confidential information. In August 1944, while serving in the Army, he became a citizen of the United States. From 1943 to late December 1945, Sonny served his country proudly. In 1945, he was honorably discharged with honors. He received the American Campaign Medal, the Asiatic Pacific Campaign Medal, the Philippine Liberation Ribbon with one Bronze Star, the Good Conduct Medal, and World War II Medal.

Sonny returned to his wife in Southern California. They were very close to Irehne's family as she had five siblings and came from a large family as well. He was very close to Irehne's brothers, and a role model for Andy. Family was very important to Sonny and Irehne. In fact, they had nine children: Merylee, Elissa, Gregory, Jolana, Theresa, Cidy, Patricia, Susan, and Gary. Sonny was a good father, who organized and kept order in a home of eleven people. He took the children to school each day in the big family station wagon, he was very involved and drove them around. They always ate as a family around the dinner table. Sonny cooked the meals, went to the market, and at 4:30 in the afternoon, he went off to work. What was important to him was that his children all do well in school and get a good education. He wanted them to be in an academic environment and he worked hard to provide for his children, while teaching them about responsibility. The kids remember taking on chores and helping around the house. Like their dad, they learned a strong work ethic, morals, dignity, and the importance of taking part. He was very proud of his children.

Sonny's professional journey carried him into the glitzy world of Hollywood, where he became the maître d' to the stars for 29 years at Don the Beachcomber's restaurant. He formed lifelong relationships at the restaurant. He took care of everyone and treated everyone with respect whether they were a celebrity, a celebrity's wife or a celebrity's mistress. He was someone who loved people and truly took care of their needs. He dealt with every famous name of the time: Frank Sinatra, Joan Crawford, Burgess Meredith, David Niven, Howard Hughes, Elizabeth Taylor, Tyrone Power, Errol Flynn, William Powell, a young Barbara Streisand, Mick Jagger, and the list goes on. Joan Crawford wrote to him every Christmas. He always said Sinatra was a gentleman and generous - he was the biggest tipper. He had so many stories about his restaurant experience that he shared proudly with his family. He had a wonderful memory and remembered exactly what people ordered and their favorite meals. Producers still remember him today. When Cidy went into the restaurant business, Burgess Meredith told her that he remembered Sonny saying, "Oh, Sonny! How is he?"

Life was not perfect, though, as there would be journeys into loss. When their daughter Patricia passed away unexpectedly at the age of 25, it was a shock and a difficult time for the entire family. Sonny saw his duty in his quiet stoic way. He found his own way to move forward. Somehow he managed to deal with the loss, but it was hard for him as family was everything. He knew he would see his Patricia again one day. His advice was always do your best, always live life and move forward. Duty was duty and so he found a way to unite the family and help everyone push forward. Sonny was the glue holding everyone together and setting an example for the next generation.

Wednesday was a special day in the family. Every Wednesday was Sonny's day for family dinners. The children with their spouses and families would join Sonny and Irehne at the house. Sonny did the cooking. There were many holiday celebrations, often the house was filled with friends and family. Sonny had an open door policy where everyone was welcome. He loved spending time with all of his grandchildren: Christien, Lauren, Danielle, Jason, Auria, Justin, Dina, Tony, Rudy, Jeffrey, Adam, Brian, Patricia, and Anelisse. He also had five great-grandchildren.

For Sonny, his life long journey placed family first. He loved his children, their families, and spending time with the grandchildren. But, another change was about to come. Irehne suffered a stroke and was paralyzed on her left side. Sonny had an undying love for his wife, an unmatched, rare devotion. Everything was for her. It was a difficult journey into being a caretaker, but Sonny would not leave her alone. Sonny ran the big family home by himself. Sonny was by her side when the family celebrated their parents' 50th anniversary. Irehne passed away in 1994 and he made arrangements to be laid to rest next to her one day.

He moved from the family home to Valencia where he lived with his youngest daughter, Susan, and her family. For eleven years he lived with Susan, Carlos, Patricia, and Anelisse. The girls were the light of his life and he had a very special bond as they lived together. For the last 18 months, Sonny lived with his youngest son Gary and his family. Gary, Tricia, Adam and Brian were his caregivers as they lived together. Sonny was loved so very much by his children.

Sonny loved the music of the 30's and 40's, especially Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole's 'Unforgettable,' Glenn Miller's 'Moonlight Serenade,' Tony Bennett, and a variety of big band. He loved all kinds of Filippino foods and enjoyed to cook. Many of those recipes he passed down to everyone else in the family who loved to cook. There was also his love of pets as he rescued two dogs. One was a boxer named Jeff, who he found on the street. Another was a doberman who was a guard dog that was abandoned at a warehouse. He named that dog Blackie and the dog absolutely loved him. He read the LA Times everyday, especially for the sports section. He could name the Dodgers and Lakers and he knew statistics on all of them.

The hardest parts of his life were losing Patricia and Irehne, but the best part of his life was always family, his children and his grandchildren. He loved doing things with the grandchildren and the kids loved being with him - whether going for lunch or shopping. He got a haircut and manicure every two weeks by Sam and Theresa, and was also impeccably groomed. He didn't want to be around senior citizens that made him feel old. His family energized him - his family was truly the most important part of his life. The purpose in his life was this devotion to his wife, children and family.

He was a loving, caring and kind man. People remembered him for a reason. In the end, he was a fighter. He loved life, he loved being with his children, and he loved sharing stories, especially with his son-in-law, Robert. His family will miss everything about him, especially his presence, his smile, the cackle in his laugh, hanging on him, and his stories. Sonny's influence and love will continue for generations to come through his children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. Memorial donations are welcome in his name to Los Angeles Children's Hospital or The Amanda Foundation.