Douglas Ruff, 83, passed away Saturday August 17, 2024, at his home in Greeley, Colorado. He was born to Fred and Leona Ruff, who at the time farmed the land close to what is now 23rd Avenue and 16th Street in Greeley, then they moved to a farm outside of Eaton. Doug graduated from Eaton High School's class of 1959.
He loved talking about his life growing up and the things he enjoyed as a kid. He played the accordion and was selected to play in competitions across the country. FFA was a big part of his high school and college years. In FFA he had a potato project, was part of a team that won a gold medal for judging field crops, was Chapter Secretary, won district, the State and the regional on the Parliamentary Procedure team, and was elected to the FFA State Sentinel office. In 4-H he won a Swine Showmanship Contest at the Weld County Fair and at the State Fair his sow won Best Female Berkshire. This started his Registered Berkshire hog project for FFA. Doug also loved playing football for Eaton High School. He always said he made the team as a freshman because he started lifting weights early – which was actually doing farm chores like stacking 100lb bags of potatoes.
After high school and 2 years at CSU, Doug married Joyce, his high school sweetheart. They farmed for several years, but after unexpectantly losing his dad and several hard years of hail and early freezing crops, Doug and Joyce and their 2 kids left the farm in 1970 for new opportunities in Greeley. Doug was excited to start a new career that ended up being a perfect fit for him. He worked for Ralston Purina for almost 20 years. He built his District into one of the top five districts in the country. He held the record for tons of cattle feed sold in a year and sold in a career. He really enjoyed mentoring and training new guys as they joined the company.
Working for Purina allowed him to be more involved in his community. He volunteered at the Weld County Fair, serving for 20 years as the Superintendent of the Sheep Show. He was on the Board of Weld County Junior Livestock Sale Committee. This committee's goal was to increase buyer numbers, which they did by developing a buyer "pool" program. Over time the program worked, which eventually led to the Weld County Livestock Sale to set a record over $1M when it surpassed the National Western Stock Show and the Colorado State Fair sales.
Doug also volunteered at St. Paul's Congregational Church. He served about 15 years in various positions, with 8 of them being Chairman of the Board. During his time as Chairman, the church moved when they built a new sanctuary at its present location.
Over the years, Doug and Joyce enjoyed traveling. They visited their son Steve when he was on consulting assignments around the US and even internationally. They especially liked their trip to Australia.
Doug loved spending time with his family. He is survived by his wife Joyce (Rutz), 2 children, Shari (David) Ottoson, Steve Ruff, 5 grandchildren, 5 great-grandchildren, 2 nephews and lots of cousins.
His family, church friends and high school friends will all miss him. If there was an event, a reunion or a family picnic, he was there. His family and friends were also there for him in his last days with prayers, visits and rides.
A celebration of his life and eternal entry to heaven will be held Friday August 30th at 11:00 AM at St. Paul's Congregational Church in Greeley. Following the service will be a luncheon, then caravan to Sunset Memorial Gardens.
Memorial contributions may be made in Doug's name to St. Paul's Congregational Church, in care of Moser Funeral Service, 3501 11th Ave., Evans, Colorado 80620.