Leonard Herbert Ruff 11-13-24

Leonard Herbert Ruff, beloved husband, brother, father and friend, passed from this life to the next peacefully in his sleep on Monday, Nov. 4, 2024, joining his heavenly father.
Leonard was born July 29, 1944, in American Falls, ID, to Herbert and Bessie Ruff. He was one of six children in the Ruff family and grew up helping with chores on the family homestead. He enlisted in the Navy at 17 and was stationed at Treasure Island in San Francisco. He was part of the Maintenance Team as Machinist’s Mate, on the USS Tracer (AGR-15).
Leonard graduated from Idaho State University in 1975 with a Bachelor of Arts in Secondary Education with a passion for Political Science, History, and Civics. During his career he was a jack of all trades, taking jobs in teaching, drafting, engineering, boilers and refrigeration, and security. He also headed the continuing education and apprenticeship programs with RETA (Refrigerating Engineers and Technicians Association).
Leonard was a dedicated family man and a loyal friend. He is fondly remembered by so many as their “adopted” dad and grandfather. Leonard spent endless hours tinkering away in his shop or comparing notes in friend’s shops. A treasure trove of mechanical knowledge, Leonard loved to rebuild cars and served dutifully as the family mechanic. His ingenuity and resourcefulness led to a wide variety of custom machines and tools gleaned from shop scraps, always determined on getting the extra mile out of every appliance and home repair. Leonard enjoyed tending to his garden, often trading gardening tips with the neighbors and his kids. Cooking for his family was both his “job,” as he would say, but often also his chance to experiment with new recipes and tweak old ones, giving the kids the responsibility of taste tester and food critic. Leonard also had a passion for music and enjoyed all kinds of country, jazz, rock, and classical. He would often recount his days playing in a band (Tame Buffalo and Survival) doing gigs for the local lodges and bars.
Leonard is survived by his wife of 45 years, Cris Ruff; children Tina (Vince) Fehringer, Brett (April Whaley) Ruff, Nikki (Brian) Cummins, Hailey (Tim) Krumland, Holli (Dan) Nelson, and Heidi Ruff; grandchildren Clayton Fehringer; Leanndra Boyer; Zachary Ruff; Brennan, Novelynn, Bailee, Noah, Brady, Noelle and Benson Cummins; Keyala, Kyton, Kiyara Krumland; Kendall and Kolten Nelson; two great-granddaughters, Aria and Minuet Boyer; siblings John (Betty Kay) Ruff and Marylynn (John) Richard; and many nieces and nephews.
Leonard is preceded in death by his parents, sister Joyce Klempel, brothers Edwin and Marvin Ruff, and nephew Russel Klempel.
Services will be held Saturday, Nov. 16, at the First Mennonite Church in Aberdeen. The family will update the time and other specifics on a family Facebook account.