C. Baker Ramsay, a dentist who practiced for 55 years in Towson, died of a blood clot Sunday at Johns Hopkins Hospital. The Lutherville resident was 81.
Born in Baltimore and raised on Groveland Avenue in Liberty Heights, he was a 1944 Polytechnic Institute graduate. He served in the Naval Reserves and the Maryland National Guard.
He earned a bachelor's degree at the University of Maryland, College Park and was a 1953 graduate of the University of Maryland Dental School.
Dr. Ramsay established an office on Loch Raven Boulevard and in the mid-1960s oversaw construction of his own office structure, the Ramsay Professional Building on East Joppa Road. He remained a sole practitioner and was still working until his death.
"He loved his work, and he loved his patients," said his daughter, Deborah Bienert of Bel Air. "If he could have worked 24 hours a day, he would have."
She said that her father addressed life "with a very positive attitude." She recalled his personality. "To him, the 'glass was always half-full, not half-empty.' "
Friends said he never had loud music playing in his office. He insisted that quiet, soothing tunes be played.
"He was a quiet man, never boisterous and not frivolous," said a friend, David Dannenfelser, who lives in Timonium. "He was an artist as a dentist. He did beautiful work and gave his patients great smiles."
Dr. Ramsay was a member and the 1962-1963 president of the Exchange Club of Towson.
"He was not argumentative and had friends all over Towson," said Lee Thomas, a patient for 45 years and his attorney. "He loved to go out to dinner."
Family members said that Dr. Ramsay would typically try restaurants along the York Road corridor and was a regular at the Peppermill.
He was a member of the Maryland State Dental Association.
"C.B. was a good conversationalist. In the old days, he had his pipe and would be at meetings, talking quietly," said a colleague, Dr. David Denisch. "He was active in dental professional circles."
Dr. Ramsay owned an Ocean City home and was a member of the Ocean City Golf and Yacht Club. A golf player, he was also a charter member of the Hillendale Country Club.
A Mass will be offered at 11 a.m. Friday at the Roman Catholic Church of the Nativity, 20 E. Ridgely Road in Lutherville, where he was a member.
In addition to his daughter, survivors include two other daughters, Denise M. Vigliotti of Bel Air and Diane R. Grande of Glen Arm; and seven grandchildren. His wife of 55 years, the former Doris M. Solomon, died in 2006.
