edwin ramsey was born in carlyle, illinois. the family moved, first to el dorado, kansas, when he was two, and then to wichita ten years later. his father committed suicide after being arrested on suspicion of battering his wife. ramsey's mother was a dermatologist who later ran her own clinic. his older sister, nadine, became one of the first female united states mail pilots and ferried fighters and bombers in world war ii.