Ann Ruffino DeSario
1948 - 2014
Ann Esther (Ruffino) DeSario, 65, of Middletown, passed away on January 3, 2014 after fiercely fighting lung cancer. She is predeceased by Dr. Louis J. Ruffino Sr., and Jane Pagano, formerly of Cromwell.
She was the working manager of Euro Cleaners in Essex, where she made many friends over the past 20 years. Their outpouring of support will never be forgotten.
Ann is survived by two daughters, Mandy Wolf of Middletown, and Julie Wolf Uliano and her husband Richard of Lake Stevens, WA, three brothers, Louis Ruffino Jr. and his wife Nancy; Peter Ruffino and his wife Shirley; Matthew Ruffino; a sister, Maria Tolman and her husband Robert; and many nieces and nephews.
Ann was an avid backyard bird watcher who also enjoyed tending to many houseplants, including African Violets in every color. She was a music lover and a rabid New York Yankees fan. She was an extremely intelligent person who was very kind, selfless, and brave. Her smile would light up a room.
Funeral services will be Wednesday at 7 pm. at Biega Funeral Home 3 Silver Street, Middletown. Friends may call at the funeral home from 5 to 7 p.m. prior to the service. Donations in lieu of flowers can be made to Weiss Hospice Unit c/o Dept. of Philanthropy, 28 Crescent Street, Middletown, CT 06457.
The Hartford Courant - Jan. 5, 2014
From John Swingen:
We have lost another classmate from CHS '66. Ann Ruffino DeSario lost her fight with lung cancer last week. Her obit was in today's Hartford Courant, which is available online at Hartfordcourant.com. Ann was one of the sweetest, smartest and enthusiastic people I ever knew. She was also my first high school girlfriend. Although we only went out for a few months, we remained friends for a long time. We even attended our 20 year reunion together! (We were both between marriages at the time.) Her parents were both musicians and invited me to play sax in their jazz combo. At the same time, I was asked to join a rock'n'roll band by Eugene "Beannie" Sokolowski. I wanted to be in both bands, but the Ruffinos told me I had to choose one or the other, because they could forsee conflicting schedules down the road. I chose the rock band and had a lot of fun with it, but I never stopped liking jazz. Ann will be missed by her two daughters, her four siblings, her nieces and nephews, and all who knew her.