A native of Massachusetts, she is a graduate of Northampton Commercial College and was a staff member in both the Theatre and Art Departments at Smith College, where she also studied art. For several years she taught oil painting at the Ramsey Art Studio in Northampton .

She was a summer resident of Rockport before moving there permanently in 1980, the year she and Michael Stoffa were married. Winters often found them in the American Southwest and Mexico painting landscapes and historical places to complement their New England scenes. Ramsey continues to dedicate herself to painting and operating the gallery, now shared with her daughter, folk artist Mary Douyard.

Ramsey has won numerous awards and her work is widely recognized; her paintings are in collections in the US and abroad, and her reproductions are distributed to over 60 countries.

"I long for a Rockport summer and roses 'round every door. With white picket fences and gates of blue that wind down to the shore."

From A Rockport Summer by Dorothy J. Ramsey

She was a featured artist on the television news magazine, Chronicle, and in 1998 demonstrated oil painting on The Learning Channel as part of the Great Country Inns program.

Ramsey, also known for her poetry and writing abilities, is the lyricist for the song, "Christmas in Rockport," music by David Alpher. She was an editor for Stoffa's autobiography, Michael Stoffa, Artist and Storyteller (1999). Her Poem, Wintry Day, was chosen for publication in The Best Poems of 2001 .