Some people leave us slowly, giving their loved ones time to prepare, to hold one another closely and with intention to brave the final transition. Others are taken in a moment so sudden, so abrupt, that it leaves you dumbstruck. Such passages are bereft with grief that you know not how to proceed. Ramie Pagan Jr., 29, of Frankfort, passed away unexpectedly on March 6, 2026, at his home. We will remember him, as someone who loved deeply, freely, and with ease.
He was born October 28, 1996, in Chicago, Illinois, to Ramie Pagan Sr. and Naomi (Lehman) Czyscon. As a young boy growing up in Chicago, he was a uniquely emotionally intelligent child who persisted through educational challenges and learning differences that would come to forge his character. Graduating in 2015, Ramie found himself and flourished at Cove High School in Northbrook, Illinois. We are grateful for the support he received there and the lifelong connections he made.
Generous in spirit and with his presence, Ramie was a man of conviction and a reliable champion for his community. Ramie devoted his time, labor, and gentle heart to others. His service to community was obvious in his caring for family through the final passage from life to their rest in death, teaching his children that all love is to be celebrated by attending pride events together. He was a brave and generous citizen of the collective, answering the call for solidarity, participating in protests against police brutality. He understood the value of showing up and staying, even when it became difficult. His death was unnecessary and could have been prevented.
Ramie enjoyed traveling, antiquing, home improvement and design, and had a creative mind; if he had a vision he could and would bring it to life. He had a whimsical sense of humor that could soften the hardest of exteriors. He could also be sarcastic and wicked, but always had the best intentions. Above all, he loved being a father to his children. Ramie delighted in fatherhood and flooded social media weekly with hefty photo dumps of his most recent adventures with his children. Within these photos, he captured the love within ordinary moments. It is inside these little snapshots where his children are a mirror. They are a reflection of the love he poured into them. The evidence of his profound love is in the expressions radiating from his children’s faces – the expressions of well-loved children admiring their doting father.
He is survived by his mother and stepfather, Naomi and Michael Czyscon of Johnsburg, Illinois; his father, Ramie Pagan Sr. of Long Grove, Illinois; his daughter, Lillian Mae Anthrop, and son, Milo Lance Anthrop, both of Lafayette, Indiana; the mother of his children, Maria Anthrop of Lafayette; his fiancée, Gracie Mae Price of Frankfort, Indiana; his siblings, Emily (Christopher) Harms of Antioch, Illinois, Jocelyn Walker of Chicago, Illinois, Jared (Sue Ellen) Walker of Chicago, Illinois, Jonathan (Marissa) Czyscon of Chicago, Illinois, and Beth (Matthew) Seiler of Wauwatosa, Wisconsin. He is also survived by many aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces, and nephews. He resided in Frankfort, Indiana, for the past seven years, the last two of which were spent with Gracie Mae. He had finally found the missing piece to his puzzle in her and a happiness and acceptance he had never known.
A funeral service will be held at 11 a.m. on Friday, March 20, 2026 at Thompson Funeral Home, 8103 Wilmont Road, Spring Grove, IL 60081. Friends may visit from 9 a.m. until the time of service at 11 a.m. at the funeral home. A luncheon will take place at 1 p.m. on Friday at Johnsburg Community Club, 2315 West Church Street, Johnsburg, IL. Goodwin Funeral Home, 200 S. Main Street, Frankfort, IN is honored to assist the Pagan family. Please visit goodwinfuneralhome.com to leave a condolence.