Mary Ruff of Edina, Minnesota, died peacefully Sunday morning, November 1, 2020, on All Saints’ Day.
Mary Jane Young was born on March 5, 1927, in Minneapolis, Minnesota. She had two ambitions in life, to be a mother and a teacher. Though her friend Marge warned her that she had set her sights too high falling in love with Bob Ruff, they married in 1949, and the rest is history. Together they raised eight children who survive them, daughters Mary Jenkins, John Ruff (Gloria), Julie Pink (Bob), Ann Ruff (John Cooper), Bob Ruff (Susan), Tom Ruff (Mary), Katie Ruff and Joe Ruff (Jill); by grandchildren, Christine Levens (Matt Lupkes), Nick Levens (Jodi), Matt Jenkins (Elyssa Shalla) and Josh Jenkins (Shannon), Helen O’Rourke (Sean) and Margaret Ruff (Herc Walkosz), Bryan Pink, Michael Pink (Alicia) and Stephen Pink (Kersten), Bridget Peterson (Dave), Amy Howe (Eric) and Bill Ruff, Kelsey Ruff, Leah Turner (Dave), Sam Ruff and Tessa Ruff, Mark Olme (Lauren) and Kjirsten Viara (Keegan), Matt Ruff and Charlie Ruff; and by great grandchildren too numerous and expensive to name (28 and one coming).
Mary Ruff grew up in North Minneapolis, her family members of the Ascension Parish. She attended grade school at Ascension, then St. Margaret’s Academy, then the College of St. Catherine, graduating with a bachelor’s degree in home economics with a certificate to teach kindergarten. In 1977, at the age of 50, with her youngest son Joe in high school and her husband battling cancer, Mary returned to teaching, the same year enrolling at Hamline University to renew her teaching license. For the next twenty-five years Mrs. Ruff would teach first grade at John Ireland School in Hopkins, Minnesota. Mary Ruff loved teaching children how to read and write, to find pleasure in beautiful books and in the natural world, to get along with each other, and to believe in themselves. She loved her students, loved their families, and loved her colleagues. At age 75 she retired, though she continued to serve as a long-term substitute teacher and aide at St. John’s into her mid 80’s. It became her routine on Tuesday mornings to attend daily Mass, then her bible study, then Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. Mary also volunteered in the parish office, and helped with funeral lunches. For almost two decades she volunteered as a “Study Buddy” tutoring children who lived in the nearby CommonBond housing community. In 2008, for a lifetime of serving others, Mary Ruff was inducted into Benilde-St.Margaret’s Hall of Honor as a Distinguished Alumni Award recipient.
At work or at home, Mary Ruff was mostly on her feet, and often humming. Daily Mass is how she began the day; before dinner she liked a scotch and soda as she watched the news. She loved being at her cabin on Cross Lake in any season, especially when every bed was full. She was an avid reader, a bird watcher, a gardener, and a daily walker inside and out. She was insufferably optimistic about the weather. You could fill a moving van with all the cookies she baked. By herself she kept Target in business buying birthday cards and Christmas presents for her children, their spouses, for grandchildren and great grandchildren. She loved a party, shopping, seeing her friends, traveling with her daughters, playing favorites with her sons. She was gracious in the largest sense and lived her long full blessed life with love and gratitude.
Mary is preceded in death by her husband Bob; her parents, Tom and Eleanor Youn; her brother, Tom Young; her son-in-law, Dave Jenkins; her niece, Anna Wold; and her great-grandson Sawyer Howe. She will be remembered by many beloved nieces and nephews, by her sister-in-law, Mary Kay Ruff, by friends, colleagues, and neighbors from wherever she lived, worked, and worshipped. A private family Mass and burial will be held on November 12, at 11:30. To access the recording of Mary's service, please click here:
https://ascensionmpls.org/2020/11/11/funeral-for-mary-ruff/
A post-pandemic celebration of Mary Ruff’s life is being planned. In lieu of flowers, memorials can be made to the Northside Achievement Zone and to CommonBond Communities, two organizations Mary Ruff generously supported.
To access the recording of Mary's service please go to https://ascensionmpls.org/2020/11/11/funeral-for-mary-ruff/
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