Obituary of ROBERT RAYMOND RUFFESKI

ROBERT RAYMOND RUFFESKI

Peacefully on April 12, 2025, Robert (Bob) Raymond Ruffeski left this world to be with his soulmate Deanna Gail (Miller), his parents, Michael and Angela (Nellie) and his sister Janet (Oliver) forever.

He leaves behind his loving family: sons, Grant (Dorri), David (Patricia) and Jared (Lindsay) and two granddaughters, Genessa and Madison.

A loving and dedicated husband, father and grandfather, Robert was born August 28, 1937, and was raised and spent his life living in Winnipeg with his family.

Robert spent his youth, as many boys did at the time, helping with the daily chores, doing ice runs for the icebox, delivering papers, and hanging out after school with the guys at the chip shop, shooting pool, and general rabble rousing. He also loved playing basketball during high school, and although he never won a championship, his basketball prowess on and especially off the court had a profound effect on the rest of his life. He was asked to share a locker with a student one year his junior, and she had a penchant for neatness. It was common for him to find his sweaty jersey and smelly shoes neatly placed outside the locker. As time went on, the two enjoyed time together, and realized if they could share a locker, they could share a life. In October 1958 they exchanged vows, and together bought a home, raised a family, shared many great moments, enjoyed their time together for the next 64 years, and now will spend their time together for eternity.

Robert was deeply involved with the Garden City Community Centre. From umpiring baseball games to coaching alongside his son, Grant, and even stepping in to coach Jared's team when needed, he was always ready to lend a hand. While he enjoyed baseball, Bob truly found his groove managing hockey. He had a knack for organizing out-of-town tournaments, including memorable trips to the United States. He often shared fond memories of those times, speaking warmly of the parents and players alike. You could often find him in his basement office for hours, making contacts and planning. His desk was a charming collection of names, phone numbers, and doodles - a reflection of his dedication and character.

For ten straight years, Robert embraced the camaraderie of "road trips" with his boys, his brother-in-law, and dear friends - reliving youthful adventures. Highlights included catching the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field and the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau. These trips were special to him, even just mentioning them would bring a twinkle to his eye.

Golfing was one of Bob's favourite pastimes. Whenever he had the chance, he'd enjoy time on the course with his Wheat Board co-workers, combining good company with the game he loved.
 

Sandy Hook had been his summer retreat since 1976. In 1981, he began building the family cottage, and although not a carpenter, he was a regular at the lumber yard, always on the hunt for ideas and materials. His priority was clear: to give Deanna and his sons a place to relax and spend their summers.

His passion for volunteering followed him everywhere, and he was instrumental in setting up a retirement group for his co-workers at the Canadian Wheat Board, helping them manage and negotiate for their best interests. He was a true manager and instilled his boys with the valuable lesson of delegation, or as he put it, getting others to do what you want done.

He always enjoyed taking on new challenges, and throughout his employment was successful at learning many fields. Starting as a payroll distributor at Bonner & Beamis, he joked of how he would drive his bosses 1952 Lincoln to pick up bags of money every week, sit at the desk with his ledger and pay all the employees in bills and coins. Or after telling his dad that he could fix their TV, and over the next week bringing replacement vacuum tubes home which didn't work, was informed by his boss to grab one from the back of the shelf as the ones in front were "returns" from other employees.

He spent time with Sherwin Williams as an accountant and was promoted to be an auditor. He had many stories of travelling to warehouses in Canada and figuring out what was really going on.

After a brief stint selling insurance, he gained employment with the CWB as a system analyst and was tasked with designing the system software flowcharts for the programmers to implement on the mainframe. He settled into his final position with them as mill auditor until his retirement and had the fortune of being able to travel alone and with Deanna across Canada to perform his duties. He fondly spoke of these times, all the great people he met and experiences he shared.

Bob was never one to turn down a good conversation about anything and had a gift for embellishment and back story. These traits were certainly handed down, and Ruffeskis are known for their ability to get right to the point of a story... eventually.

He also taught us kids that if you're not making mistakes, you're not making enough decisions. He taught us through example to always meet challenges head on, and if you need to step back, to prepare for the next step forward.

After mom's passing, Robert decided with his limited culinary skills to move into an assisted living suite. As in his nature, he accepted the change, and was rewarded by meeting many new friends, trying new activities such as karaoke and painting, and enjoying daily 6:00 a.m. coffee meetings with others in the bistro.

Saying goodbye is hard, but we will all be together in our own time. Love you dad.

We are truly grateful to the staff at River Ridge I residence for their wonderful accommodation, and the staff at the Concordia Hospital for their compassion and care they gave to Robert in his final days.

A small family interment will be held in the early summer, and in lieu of flowers, give a loved one a hug and spend some quality time with them.