Stephen M. Ruff

Stephen M. Ruff, 80, of Kingston passed away peacefully at home on Friday, March 14, 2025. He was born on January 29, 1945 in Boise, Idaho, son of the late Erwin Ruff and Margaret (Ruff) Alt Levy. A lifelong resident of Ulster County, Steve grew up in Woodstock and settled in Kingston. He graduated from Onteora High School in 1963 and received his bachelor's degree in political science from SUNY New Paltz. In addition, Steve also served our country in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War.
Before retiring, Steve worked as a field representative for the U.S. Census Bureau. Prior to that, he was self-employed in the transportation industry and also worked in sales for Simon & Schuster. Steve treasured time with family and looked forward to visits and holidays spent together. He adored his granddaughters and loved making them laugh and teaching them how to play chess.
Steve was an avid reader of news and especially enjoyed keeping up with politics – he was always up for an in-depth discussion of world events and politics. One of his many passions was travel, with some of his favorite travel destinations including Vietnam, England and Peru. He was also a collector of DVDs, with an impressive collection of classic movies and television series that he enjoyed watching in the evenings.
Surviving is his daughter, Nicole Ruff, and her husband, Sameer, and his granddaughters, Raina and Shyla. He is also survived by his former wife, Arlene Sharrett Ruff, and his sister, Nancy (Ruff) Mercer, as well as extended family.
Steve will be deeply missed by his family and others who knew him during his lifetime.
A Celebration of Life will be held for him at a later date. Donations may be made in his memory to The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research (https://www.michaeljfox.org) or Disabled American Veteran's (https://www.dav.org).