Robert J. Ruff

Long-time Moses Lake resident Robert J. Ruff, 94, died in an assisted-living facility in Portland, Ore. September 5, 2015.

Born in 1921, the third of six children of John and Pauline Ruff on a farm near Ruff, Wash., Bob lived and farmed in the Moses Lake area all of his life.

He is survived by his brother, Edwin Ruff of Boise, Idaho and seven nieces and nephews. He was always the favorite uncle who donned the Santa suit at Christmas to hand out the presents. Bob was most proud of his service in General Patton’s Third Army tank corps during WWII. Bob saw action at Normandy, the Battle of the Bulge, the Liberation of Paris and crossing the Rhine River. He was awarded the Purple Heart and five battle stars and a special commendation from the Government of France. He proudly carried the flag in many Veterans’ Day parades for many years. Bob was especially fond of his friends at the coffee group at McDonalds where he loved chatting about the weather and the price of wheat.

Bob’s ashes will be interred at the Ruff-Schultz Cemetery, Road W 8.5, near Ruff at 11 a.m. on October 17, 2015. A celebration of his life will follow at 1 p.m. at the Moses Lake Christian Academy, Building C, 1475 Nelson Road, NE, Moses Lake.