Jack Ruffolo

Jack Ruffolo, Bakersfield California, Dies at 89. Jack Ruffolo was a veteran of WWII: 15th AAF, 97th Bomb Group, 414th Squadron. He served his country as a B-17 tail gunner for 53 successful missions over North Africa and Germany before being honorably discharged. In 1946 he married Marjorie Ellen DeWilde of Bakersfield, his eventual sweetheart he met at the close of his service while stationed at Minter Army Air Field, Shafter California. He fathered three sons: Steve, Mike and Dale and over the course of his lifetime, was a loving Grandfather to Scott, Rebecka and Taelor, Great Grandfather to Gabriela, Ava and McKenna, Father-in-Law to Kim, Marge and Alyssa. Our Father can be best described in the following ways: a devout Catholic who held his beliefs, both religious and political, private. No stranger to hard work of any kind. Always an attention to detail, "if a job was worth doing, it was worth doing right." A quiet seriousness often punctuated with an extremely dry sense of humor. He possessed the gift of gab, a love for Italian food, especially meat raviolis and always a willingness to volunteer and help someone in need. He survived the loss of his wife Marjorie who died in August, 2011. He will be greatly missed but with 65 years of marriage to their credit, he felt the weight of her absence more than he chose to continue this journey