Samuel Joseph Ruffalo

Sam was born on April 22, 1932, in Dodgeville, Michigan to Joseph and Geneviev Ruffalo where his father worked in the copper mines, had a part-time shoe repair business, and owned a tavern. The family stayed in Dodgeville until 1944 when they moved to Renton by train. He attended Orillia Grade School in Orillia, WA (now part of Renton) and went on to attend Renton Jr High and later graduated from Renton High School in 1950. While in high school, he worked picking beans (at the Nakanishi farm) in Kent. After high school, he worked in the Renton brick yard for a short time before getting a job at Pacific Car and Foundry (PACCAR) in Renton. He started at PACCAR in 1952 and retired when the plant closed in 1988. As a truck driver for PACCAR, he delivered steel and metal from the foundry to locations around Seattle, including the large bolts for the base of the Space Needle. He went on to work for the Washington Ferry System for another 18 years before retiring. He also had a partnership in the Ron Dee Voo tavern in Renton, where he sometimes tended bar. He once held a private pilot’s license, belonged to the Renton Eagles for many years, and was a season ticket holder for the Washington Husky football team. He had a very lively personality and loved to occasionally play jokes. Especially on his brother in laws Jack Newell and Bob Wixom, along with his son, Jim Thomas. Together with his family and close friends, they knew the complete, unwritten history of Renton. With his passing, many of those stories will have gone silent. Although we know he led a full life, we’ll still miss his fun-loving nature, his lively stories about his life experiences, and his kindness and generosity. He is preceded in death by his beloved wife Hazel and all of his siblings (Josie, Mike, and Jeanna). He’s survived by his son Jim Thomas of Fort Worth, TX, son Alex Stratis (Linda) of Kenmore, WA, daughter Dianne Miller (Steve) of Tucson, AZ, grandson Gregg Moses (Stacey) of Huntington Beach, CA, and two granddaughters Sami Stratis (Josh) of Renton and Lindsay Stratis (Aidan) of Brier plus several nieces, nephews, and great-grandchildren (and his dogs Pepe and Relo).