Curtiss William Ruckman

Curtiss William Ruckman passed away December 20, 2020 after a courageous battle with Copd and Cancer.  Curtiss was born in Ravenna, OH to Raymond and Florence Ruckman and attended Ravenna Schools.  At 17 he joined the United States Marine Corp and began his career as a soldier and policeman.  He left for Vietnam in 1969 and returned after an honorable discharge in 1970. He then started work at Kent State University as a Police Officer and student in Law Enforcement Administration.  He earned his bachelor’s degree from Kent State in 1981 and then continued classes for his Masters program. He left Kent State Police in 1981 and joined the Kent City Police Department where he retired in 1996 as Patrol Sergeant.  Curtiss then worked for the State Department as a Police Peacekeeper serving 1 yr in Bosnia, 3 yrs in Kosovo, 1 yr in Haiti and then to Iraq to teach their Police Cadets.  He was always a soldier first.

Curtiss owned Tree City Rentals for many years this enabled him to donate to many worthy causes and charities.  Curtiss helped create an orphanage in both Bosnia and Haiti before returning to Ohio.  His passion was always children and veterans and he gave as much as he could to all charities that helped these two causes.  He believed it was better to give than receive because in the end you leave a part of yourself behind.

Curtiss is survived by his sisters, Jacquelyn Cirullo in Kent, Tami Jones in New Mexico and brother, Jim Ruckman in Oregon.  He was preceded by his parents, brothers, Tommy and Keith and many family members and friends.

There will be no calling hours secondary to Covid 19 and burial was at Ohio Western Reserve National Veterans Cemetery on December 28, 2020 with full military honors and services. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in Curtiss’ name to St. Jude’s Hospital (st.jude.org) or Wounded Warrior Project (wwp.org) including his name and mailing address (po box 792, Kent 44240). A celebration of life will be scheduled this summer, safety permitting.

“Those we love can never be more than a thought away, for as long as there’s a memory they live in our hearts to stay.”