Clifford Francis Ruskowski

Rev. Clifford F. Ruskowski, 1936-2012 Rev. Clifford F. Ruskowski, who shared his gifts of oral and written communication for his 50 years of priesthood in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Detroit, died Saturday morning, September 15, 2012, in Beaumont Hospital, Grosse Pointe. He was 76 years old and lived in Detroit. He was born Aug. 4, 1936, in Detroit, son of Anna and Anthony Charley Ruskowski. He decided early in life to become a priest, and entered Sacred Heart Seminary, Detroit, as a high school student. He completed his seminary education at St. John Provincial Seminary in Plymouth and was ordained June 2, 1962, by then-Archbishop John F. Dearden. Fr. Cliff served as assistant pastor at the Church of the Ascension, Warren, and St. Kevin, Inkster. He soon earned a reputation as a spellbinding speaker and homilist. He had received a bachelor's degree in philosophy from the University of Detroit in 1958 and, later in his priesthood, master's degrees from the University of Michigan and SS. Cyril and Methodius Seminary, Orchard Lake. He served for many years as chairman and professor of the Communication Arts Department of St. Mary's College, Orchard Lake; professor of homiletics at SS. Cyril and Methodius Seminary; and vice chancellor of The Orchard Lake Schools. He later served as professor of homiletics at St. John Provincial Seminary and Sacred Heart Major Seminary, Detroit. He served as weekend associate pastor at Shrine of the Little Flower, Royal Oak; St. Ives, Southfield; and St. Paul of Tarsus, Clinton Township. He was pastor of Our Lady of the Woods, Woodhaven, 1991-1996, and pastor of St. Owen, Bloomfield Hills, from 1999 to 2007, when he retired from fulltime ministry. Fr. Cliff touched thousands of people through his faith-filled, insightful, challenging, humorous, prayerful and poetic reflectionsin Catholic parishes throughout the Archdiocese of Detroit and beyond. He was a talented radio and television producer, playwright and director whose students created several acclaimed theater productions. He produced an award-winning radio program on two Detroit commercial stations for 10 years, won a Storer Broadcast Award for a television documentary while a graduate student at U-M, and was honored for his teaching at Sacred Heart Major Seminary. He hosted a popular series, Funny Fathers, featuring priests recounting humorous stories of pastoral life, on the Catholic Television Network of Detroit. He helped people to grow in wisdom and grace over his five decades of priesthood. He is survived by his sisters, Diane (David) Glaza, of Romeo; Ruth Angie (William) Fobare of Punta Gorda, Fla.; several nieces, nephews, grandnieces, grandnephews and cousins. He was preceded in death by his parents; several aunts and uncles; his brother, Anthony Ruskowski; and sister-in-law, Celine Sally Ruskowski. Fr. Cliff was a lover of dogs and shared his residences at Our Lady of the Woods and St. Owen with his beloved dog, Spencer. Visitation for Fr. Cliff will be Monday from 3-9 p.m. and Tuesday from 2-9 p.m. with a 7 p.m. Prayer Service at the D.S. Temrowskiand Sons Funeral Home, 30009 Hoover Road at Common (12 and a half Mile Road). Fr. Cliff will lie in state Wednesday at 9 a.m. until the time of the funeral Mass at 10 a.m. at Shrine Chapel at The Orchard Lake Schools. Online condolences can be given at www.Temrowski.com.