James Ruff

James Ruff, 92, a resident of Edgewater in West Des Moines, passed away peacefully on December 15, 2017 from complications of a stroke. A Mass of Christian Burial will be 1:00 p.m. on Wednesday, December 20, 2017 at St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church in West Des Moines. Visitation will be one hour prior to Mass. Jim was born Sept. 3, 1925 in Hammond, Indiana. As a proud graduate of the Navy ROTC program at Notre Dame, Jim was a lifelong, devoted Fighting Irish fan. In 1946, he married Priscilla Thoma. They celebrated 70 years together until her death in 2016. The couple lived in Mt. Prospect, IL; Allentown, PA; Rochester, NY; and Plano/McKinney, TX prior to moving to West Des Moines in 2010. Jim was a very intelligent and driven businessman, with careers at Norge, American Hospital Supply Corp., Air Products, and eventually retiring as President of the International Division/Ray Ban for Bausch and Lomb. Jim was an excellent provider for his family. One of his favorite pleasures - and frustration - was the game of golf! He was also proud of his German heritage. Jim is survived by his four children, James A. Ruff of Plano TX, Susan (Mike) Sherzan of West Des Moines, Patricia (Jeff) Muradian of Medina MN, and Elizabeth (Scott) Rogers of The Colony TX. Jim also has 11 grandchildren and 17 great grandchildren. The family would also like to thank the staff at Edgewater Skilled Care for their compassion, care and kindness shown to Jim. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to the Sudan Relief Fund, P.O. Box 7084, Merrifield, VA, 22116 or a charity of your choice to help those who are less fortunate.