John E. Ruoff

1934 - 2017

John E. Ruoff GARDINER-John E. Ruoff died Wednesday, Nov. 22, 2017 at 83 years of age. His passing was attended by loved ones, and took place at Vassar Brothers Medical Center in Poughkeepsie. John was born on Sept. 4, 1934, in Brooklyn, N.Y., to the late Eugen and Rosa Grosch Ruoff. He grew up in Woodside, Queens, playing stickball in the streets and graduating from LaSalle Academy and Manhattan College. He earned a Masters degree in Accounting from New York University. Summers with his family were spent visiting his Uncle Emil in New Paltz, and working as a busboy in the Wildmere and Cliffhouse hotels on Lake Minnewaska. John married Margarete Hildebrandt on Dec. 16, 1967 at St. Joseph’s Church in New Paltz. John and Margarete, together with John’s parents, owned and operated the Mountain Brauhaus Restaurant in Gardiner for over 40 years. They raised four children together, and eventually entrusted the restaurant to their two youngest, who now run it with their spouses. John and Margarete remained an integral part of the business, helping daily in many ways, big and small. John and Margarete were enjoying their 50th year of marriage at the time of John’s passing. The two felt that they had been blessed with living a real-life love story. John was always described by his wife as ‘a rare and special man’. John served in the United States Army from 1952 to 1954, and was a member of the Gardiner Fire Department. John was also a founding member of the Nut-Hikers, a select group who have hiked and dined every Wednesday, locally and beyond, for over 20 years. John provided a steady moral compass, a good sense of humor and a patient ear for his family’s concerns. He was a man who loved his family and his faith. He had a great appreciation for the natural world, attentive to the myriad details of the world around him. John enjoyed taking walks with his wife, spending time with his grandchildren and splitting his own firewood, a skill he taught his grandson, Oliver, this past summer. In addition to his wife, Margarete, John is survived by two daughters and sons-in-law, Karin and Dennis Skalla of Saugerties, N.Y. and Ilka and Kevin Casey of Gardiner, N.Y.; son, Eugene Ruoff of Gardiner, N.Y., and son and daughter-in-law, Mark and Veronica Ruoff of Gardiner, N.Y. He was the beloved grandfather of Oliver, Piper and Morgan Casey of Gardiner, Silvia Snow Ruoff of Gardiner, and step-grandson Biko Skalla of Saugerties. In addition to his parents, John is predeceased by his brother, Heinz Ruoff, who passed away in 2007, and sister-in-law Linda Ruoff, who passed away in 2016. Relatives and friends may call on Monday, Nov. 27, 2017, from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Copeland Funeral Home, Inc., 162 South Putt Corners Road, New Paltz, N.Y. A Mass in John Ruoff’s honor will be celebrated at St. Joseph’s Church, 34 South Chestnut Street, New Paltz, Tuesday, Nov. 28, 2017 at 10 a.m. Donations in memory of John Ruoff may be made to the Gardiner Fire Department Rescue Squad, P.O. Box 271, Gardiner, N.Y. 12525 or St. Joseph’s Church, 34 South Chestnut, New Paltz, N.Y. 12561. Condolences may be made to the family at www.copelandfhnp.com.