Seymour William {Bill} Ruff, Jr.

Mr. Seymour William Bill Ruff, Jr, 80 of Frederick, formerly of Carroll County, died at Citizens Care and Rehabilitation Center, after a lengthy illness. He leaves behind his wife of twenty-five years, Thea Uhlig-Ruff.

Bill was born on July 11, 1928 at the Women's Hospital in Baltimore, MD, the third of three children born to Seymour William Ruff, Sr and Mary West Ruff.

He was raised in Randallstown, graduated high school at the Baltimore Poly Technical Institute in 1946 and continued being an active member of his high school fraternity, Delta Theta Pi, until they disbanded in 2007.

Bill started going to University of Maryland sporting events with his Dad in 1933 and he became a life long supporter of Maryland sports in the Terrapin Club and the Gridiron Network.

He attended the University of Maryland at College Park, when he met and married Rachel Welling in 1950. They went on to raise their family in Randallstown and they moved to Carroll County in 1974. Bill continued to live in Carroll County until his retirement when he moved with his second wife, Thea Uhlig-Ruff, to Frederick in 1998.

He had a career of more than 50 years as a realtor, land developer and building in the Baltimore and Carroll county areas. He was very proud of his contributions to the growing communities of Finksburg, Westminister and the Eldersburg/Sykesville areas.

Following his diagnosis of Parkinson Disease in 1998, Bill started the Parkinson Walks in Frederick in 1999. He then founded the Central Maryland Parkinson Outreach, a Fundraising Chapter of the American Parkinson Disease Association. He was a member of Calvary United Methodist Church in Frederick and had been a member of the choir.

Bill is predeceased by his parents, his sister, Suzanne Ruff Motski, his brother-in-law, Michael Motsko and his former wife and mother of his children, Rachel Welling Ruff.

In addition to his wife, Thea, he is survived by his two daughters, Julia Smith and her husband, Tom of Ijamsville, MD, Ann Doherty and her husband, Bill of Finksburg, MD and his sons, Bill Ruff and his wife, Nathalie of Tampa, Florida, Tom Ruff and his wife, Lori of Crownsville, MD and Kevin Gombeski and his wife, Grace of Upperco, MD and numerous grandchildren, a niece, nephews and many other family members and special friends.

Visitation: The family will receive friends on Monday from 2 until 4 and 7 until 9:00 p.m. at the Stauffer Funeral Home, 1621 Opossumtown Pike Frederick, MD 21702.

Services: A memorial service celebrating Bill's life will be held on Tuesday, June 23rd at 2:00 PM at the Calvary United Methodist Church, 131 West Second Street, Frederick, MD 21701.

In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to the University of Maryland Terrapin Club, 2707 Comcast Center, College Park, MD 20742 or the Citizens Care and Rehabilitation Center, 1900 Rosemont Avenue, Frederick, MD 21702.