Dennis C. Ramin

BAY CITY, MI -- A Bay City man is mourned after falling through a skylight to his death while playing guitar.

About 8 p.m. Sunday, April 17, Dennis C. Ramin, 47, was on the roof of 514 E. Midland St., where he had an apartment on the second floor above the law firm of Gower Reddick.

"My understanding is he went up there and was entertaining a few people, enjoying some cocktails and listening to music," said Jason P. Gower, Ramin's landlord and friend, who added the people weren't on the roof with permission.

Somehow, Ramin slipped or fell headfirst through a skylight, landing on a hallway floor about 20 feet below, Gower said. He suffered head and neck trauma and was declared dead at a hospital later that night, Gower said.

Bay City Public Safety Capt. Mark Turner confirmed firefighters, paramedics, and police responded to the scene and that Ramin's death has been ruled accidental.

"He was a personal friend of mine," Gower said. "I called him the 'guitar sensei.'"

Gower said he met Ramin about four years ago when he took him up on a Craiglist ad Ramin posted offering guitar lessons. Gower also recalled Ramin was proficient at woodworking.

"He could build anything out of wood," he said. "He had a great knack for building things."

Ramin remodeled a conference room for Gower Reddick, centered by a customized table he built. Underneath the table, Ramin scrawled "guitar sensei, 2/22/15." In honor of him, the firm is dedicating the room as "the Dennis Ramin Conference Room."

The skylight Dennis C. Ramin fell through the night of Sunday, April 17, 2016.

Gower helped Ramin get his builder's license. He operated as Dennis Ramin Residential Builder and his services included home improvements, remodeling, new construction, additions, garages, decks, siding, kitchens, bathrooms, roofing, drywall and painting.

"He began doing work of all kinds," Gower said. "Anything from handyman jobs to repainting a whole house. He did a lot of work in the Tri-City area, and it was all word of mouth."

Gower on Tuesday, April 19, started the Dennis Ramin Memorial Fund on GoFundMe.com. The goal is to fund a memorial dinner at the Diamond Banquet & Ballroom, 609 E. Midland St., from 4-7 p.m. on Friday, April 29. Remaining funds will be donated to Ramin's adult daughter, who lives in North Carolina, and is described as "his pride and joy" in his obituary.

As of Friday, April 21, the page has garnered $2,015 from 25 donors.

"I can't say enough about him," Gower said. "He was a great, nice person."