Ramona Jonas, 67, Delco social worker

RAMONA KATHERINE Jonas was the ideal aunt.

Every holiday she would show up at the homes of her numerous nieces and nephews with bags of presents. She gave one nephew a car when he started college.

And she was always there cheering them on when they played sports. As a fine athlete in her youth, she also acted as an unofficial coach, especially in tennis, to help her nieces and nephews excel at their games.

Ramona Jonas, a Native American and member of the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe in Massachusetts and a retired program specialist at the Elwyn Institute in Delaware County, died Monday. She was 67 and lived in Germantown.

She suffered from a number of health issues, but had an active day on Monday. She watched a tennis match - offering her usual advice - and went for a walk. That evening, she died quietly.

Ramona was highly regarded at the Elwyn Institute for her dedicated and loving work with the mentally disabled residents.

"It was very rewarding for her," said her niece Elizabeth Atkins. "She was never paid much, but she enjoyed working with special- needs individuals. She found a lot of joy in it, and she was much loved and appreciated."

Ramona was active with the Wampanoag Tribe and attended its annual powwow. She also had a sizable collection of Native American jewelry.

Ramona was born to Theodore and Winonah Jonas in New Bedford, Mass. While attending New Bedford High School, she played field hockey, softball and tennis.

She went on to Cheyney University, where she received a bachelor's degree in sociology.

She began her career in social work at the former Sleighton Farm School for Girls in Delaware County. She started at the Elwyn Institute in 1991. She retired last year.

Ramona was an avid reader, especially of mysteries, and was a fan of jazz, particularly the music of Nina Simone, Ella Fitzgerald and Billy Holiday.

She took family members on whale-watching excursions to Cape Cod. She loved the water and enjoyed swimming off the beaches of Massachusetts.

Ramona had a series of much-loved dogs, from Nadji to Miguel to Puddles and finally to Valentino, whom she called Boo Boo, a French bulldog who "picked up her spirits," her niece said.

The family couldn't understand her appreciation for the comedies of controversial filmmaker Tyler Perry ("Diary of a Mad Black Woman," "Why Did I Get Married?"). "She got a kick out of his Big Momma character," her niece said.

Elizabeth said her aunt was "very smart. She was on top of current events. She always kept track of family doings and followed up with you.

"She told it like it is, no beating around the bush. She could have a sharp tongue and be a little cranky. She wouldn't put up with a lot of nonsense. But she had a good sense of humor and was very family-oriented."

She is survived by two sisters, Elizabeth Atkins and Ellena Jonas; two brothers, Theodore O. Jonas and Paul Jonas; 15 nieces and nephews; and 28 grandnieces and grandnephews.

Services: Funeral Mass 11 a.m. Saturday at St. Josephina Bakhita Church, 753 Kaigns Ave., Camden. Friends may call at 10 a.m.