Nina Lou Ruffolo of Carlsbad, California, was a caring wife, mother and friend. She left this world suddenly on Sunday, January 16, 2022 at the age of 84.
Nina Lou Canter was born on February 3, 1937 in Nelsonville, Ohio to parents Floyd and Anna Canter. She had four siblings, two sisters Donna and Carolyn and two brothers Jack and Ted. Nina grew up in Murray City, a small town in Ohio and after graduating high school, she then went on to study nursing at Saint Francis School of Nursing in Columbus, Ohio. Nina became a registered nurse and soon after, she followed her dream to serve in the United States Air Force. She was stationed at Castle Air Force Base in Merced, California, where she met and married her husband, Anthony James Ruffolo. Together, they had three children: Anthony, Maria and Angela.
Nina is survived by her husband Anthony, her children Anthony, Maria and Angela, as well as her brother Ted.
Our mom loved spending time in the kitchen, creating delicious meals for her family. We remember the neighborhood kids would come over after school to see what our mom was cooking. Many times they would end up staying for dinner enjoying her homemade pizza. She enjoyed entertaining and was a great host for the many parties we had at our home.
She enjoyed traveling to Europe with her family and taking trips to the wine country in Northern California with her husband and friends and she would always buy us little souvenirs from her travels. She was always thinking of others. Nina had an amazing sense of style from decorating her home to the fashionable clothing she wore, she always wanted to look her best and she did.
Nina had a passion for gardening and you could always find her in the backyard planting and caring for her flowers, then eventually just strolling through her yard admiring them all. She loved animals and she had many pets throughout her life. Our mom always offered to babysit our pets for us and we always knew they were in the best of care with her.
Our mom was the “go-to-person'' if you ever wanted to know what was going on in our family, you could call her and she would give you an update on what everyone was doing.
She lived a very happy life, filled with great memories of her family and friends. Her cheerful attitude and bright smile will be missed by everyone who knew her.
Your Hug Meant the World
Nobody else held me so tight
Or made me feel so right
No one's eyes shined so bright with love
As my mom, who is now high above.
- Tamsen Butler
Service to be held at Miramar National Cemetery 5795 Nobel Drive, San Diego, California 92122 on February 14, 2022 at 2:00pm
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