Timothy (Tim) James Ruffing, of Marshall, MI, aged 70, was born January 3, 1952 in Jackson, Michigan and passed away peacefully at home on October 18, 2022, after living with cancer for the last 21 years. Tim has been surrounded and lifted up by family and friends while in the wonderful care of at-home hospice over the past month, provided by Oaklawn Hospice. We are grateful to those of you who have called, visited, or shared your concern.
Tim is survived by his wife of 30 years, Beth (Eggers) Ruffing; their children, Ethan James and Grace Ann, and his siblings: twin brother, Thomas (Brenda) Ruffing; sister, Connie (Gary) Ray; sister, Barbara Ruffing; brother, Michael; brother-in-law, Bruce (Rhonda) Weir; several nieces, nephews, and cousins. Tim was predeceased by his parents, Kenneth V. and Joyce A. (Reed) Ruffing, sister, Mary Carol (Ruffing) Weir and sister-in-law, Mary Beth Ruffing.
Tim graduated from Lumen Christi High School (Jackson, MI) and received a B.S. in Business Administration from (then) Grand Valley State College (GVSC, now GVSU). Following GVSC, Tim spent a year studying law at Wayne State University. His professional career was spent with Consumers Energy, where he held positions in several strategic management positions, ending up in Electric and Distribution, Budgeting, and Forecasting. He spent 35 years with Consumers, bringing him to live in Jackson, Flint, and Saginaw, before his retirement in 2012.
Whether in the role of husband, father, brother, uncle, or friend, Tim exuded a calm, positive attitude and had loving, thoughtful, and genuine relationships in life. He loved spending time outdoors, especially golfing and appreciating the natural beauty of northern Michigan. His family was the most important focus of his life, and all of those in Tim’s life knew that. His lifelong relationships with friends were important to Tim, and he maintained those connections to the very end of his life. Tim was also a voracious reader, loving history, fiction, biography, and crime. He had an understated wealth of knowledge that those close to him admired and benefitted from.
Tim was initially diagnosed and treated for kidney cancer in 2001, which recurred in 2011. He managed the cancer like everything else in his life: with calm acceptance, doing and enjoying things that brought joy and meaning to his life and those in it. While he spent more than 20 years living with cancer, many in his life were unaware of the challenges he faced. He lived his life with appreciation and grace. Tim was a thoughtful, generous, and kind-hearted person who will be forever missed and loved.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to: The Fountain Clinic, 111 N. Jefferson Street, Suite 1, Marshall, MI 49068, https://www.fountainclinic.org/fundraisers-donations/ or Knights of Columbus St. Luke's Parish, Allendale, 10144 42nd Ave, Georgetown Township, MI 49428. Checks payable to: K of C 14586.
Services have been entrusted to Kempf Family Funeral and Cremation Services, 723 US Hwy 27 N, Marshall, MI 49068. Visitation will be held on Monday, October 24, 2022 from 4:00pm to 7:00pm and Tuesday, October 25, 2022 from 10:00am to 11:00am with the memorial service beginning at 11:00 am, Pastor Brandon Crawford officiating. To share a memory, leave a condolence or sign the online guestbook please visit https://kempffuneralhome.com .
Tuesday, October 25, 2022
10:00 - 11:00 am (Eastern time)
Kempf Family Funeral and Cremation Services
Tuesday, October 25, 2022
Starts at 11:00 am (Eastern time)
Kempf Family Funeral and Cremation Services
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