Armando Ramirez has been with Holy Cross School in Overland Park since 2004. His can-do spirit has become infectious. His job title is custodian, but he cleans, fixes stuff, does electrical work, plumbing, and just about everything asked of him. And he’s amazing with the kids.
Ramirez’s wife and three sons were still in Mexico when he began working at Holy Cross. They were due to arrive in the U.S. in 2001, but 9/11 extended the paperwork process by 18 years. During that time he logged a lot of miles on his car, driving 30 hours each way.
Ramirez was befriended by an entire community, including art teacher Michael Long. “Having to go weeks at a time or even months between seeing your family, and then having to drive 30 hours, I can’t imagine that.”
Ramirez has 3 sons: Cristo, Guillermo and his youngest is Overland. Ramirez named him after Overland Park. He says the people there were incredibly nice to him since day 1.
As an immigrant family, Ramirez is closely monitoring the new developments out of D.C.
“It’s very hard for my Spanish people," said Ramirez. "It’s very hard and I think it’s ridiculous.”
Holy Cross helped navigate Ramirez through the immigration process. In 2013 his wife and kids arrived in the U.S.
“He’s more than just a custodian, he’s part of the school,” Long tells 41 Action News.
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Kevin Holmes can be reached at Kevin.Holmes@KSHB.com
