Josefina "Josie" Ramirez Notsinneh

Josie was born on December 30, 1980, to Josefina and Ramiro Ramirez in Los Angeles. As the third of four sisters, Josie cherished the strong and beautiful bond with her sisters, Linda, Vicky, and Leti who she loved dearly. Special childhood memories include playing Monopoly, enjoying sand-speckled egg salad sandwiches during beach outings, and two long family road trips to visit her parents hometown in Zacatecas, Mexico.

As a first generation Mexican-American family, a commitment to education was developed from within and nurtured by her experience in the Puente Program and participation in the Chicano/Latino Youth Leadership Program. In 1999, Josie graduated from Magnolia High in Anaheim, California. Josie went on to double major in Chicano Studies and Political Science at the University of California, Riverside where she was also actively involved in student government.

After graduating from UCR, Josie moved to Sacramento for the Capitol Assembly Fellowship Program in 2003 where her career in public policy and community leadership began. She continued in public service as legislative aide to Assemblymember Jackie Goldberg and from there she went on to hold various leadership positions in both the public and private sector. Josie was recognized for her strong education advocacy efforts and passion for policy reform to help historically underserved communities. She was a fierce leader and advocate for education reform and most recently served as Director for Early Childhood and Dual Language and English Learners for Children Now.

Josie was a consistent source of support to her family and friends, always made time to mentor and support women, and her warm and positive energy will always be remembered by the countless lives she touched. Josie never forgot where she came from and maintained a strong bond with her family, friends and alma mater. Josie’s smile and infectious laugh, her compassion and love for community, her faith, and cultural roots defined her colorful and full life.

In 2003, Josie met Curtis Notsinneh at the State Capitol. Josie and Curtis married on October 2, 2010 and went on to have two beautiful children, Olivia (10) and Mateo (5). Josie held many titles and dedicated her time to many causes, but her top priority was Olivia and Mateo, who filled her life with love, pride, joy and adventure, making “Mom” her most important title. Her legacy of kindness, love, respect, equality, and faith lives on through her children.

In addition to spending time with her family and children, Josie enjoyed traveling, meeting friends and comadres for “cafecito” (coffee), dedicating time to her godson, hiking, gardening, and serving her community as a member of the Matsuyama Elementary School PTA, a member of the St. Anthony’s Parish and Sacramento Japanese United Methodist Church (SJUMC) communities, and volunteering for local causes.  

Josie is survived by her partner, her children, her parents, in-laws, sisters, brothers-in-law, niece, and many friends. 

To celebrate and remember Josie’s life, family and friends are invited to attend her rosary on Friday, November 10 from 6-8 p.m. at St. Anthony Parish located at 660 Florin Rd, Sacramento, CA 95831. Funeral mass will be held on Saturday, November 11 at 10 a.m. at St. Anthony's followed by the burial at East Lawn Memorial Park, 4300 Folsom Blvd, Sacramento, CA 95819. Reception will follow at Sacramento Japanese United Methodist Church located at 6929 Franklin Blvd, Sacramento, CA 95823. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made in support of the Notsinneh family: GoFundMe.