Gabriel D. “Gabe” Ruffolo Jr., age 80, of Kenosha passed away on Sunday, October 20, 2019 surrounded by his family. Gabe was born on July 23, 1939 in Kenosha to Gabriel and Caroline (Gentile) Ruffolo, Sr. He attended local schools and graduated from Mary D. Bradford High School in 1957. Gabe attended UW-Parkside for two years and graduated from Barber School in 1962. He served in the United States Army National Guard. He served in Port Ord, CA, Ft. Lewis, WA and during the Berlin Crisis. He married Carol Cashman in 1963 and the couple later divorced. Gabe was the co-owner of Ruffolo’s Hair Studio for over 50 years until his retirement in 2013. He was a member of the Kiwanis Club, the Italian American Club, Italian Community Center in Milwaukee, the Italian Professional Association, the Hairstylist’s Association and was Barber of the Year in 1972. Gabe enjoyed cooking for his family and friends, wintering in Florida and spending time at his second home in Wisconsin Dells.
He was preceded in death by, his parents; sister, Catherine Sturino; special step-mother, Florence Ruffolo; very special grandmother, Carolina Ruffolo; grandfather, Domenico Ruffolo and maternal grandparents, Louis and Catherine Gentile.
Gabe is survived by, a son, Gabriel (Janet) Ruffolo; two daughters, Gina (James) Walker and Dina (Dean) Hubrich; eight grandchildren, Devin (Jessica) Wilson, Nathan Wade, Adriana Wade, Katelyn (Ryan) Knudsen, Enzo Daniel, Thomas Ruffolo, Nina Hernandez and Anthony Ruffolo; four great grandchildren, Melody Wade, Kayleb Sterling, Mason Knudsen and Mackenzie Wilson; a brother, Richard Ruffolo; a sister, Olivia Sturino, his special friend Phyllis Helms, as well as nieces, nephews and many friends.
The family would like to thank all who cared for him over the his last few months including; Dr. James Santarelli, Dr. Malik Bandealy, and the hospice nurses, Shirley and Kathryn, at Aurora Home Care.
Funeral services for Gabe will be held at 6:00PM on Tuesday, October 29, 2019 at the Kemper Center (6501 Third Avenue). A visitation with the family will be held on Tuesday at the Kemper Center from 3:00PM until the time of service. Inurnment with full military honors will be held on Wednesday, October 30, 2019 at Southern Wisconsin Veterans Cemetery at 11:00AM. In lieu of flowers, memorials to the family would be greatly appreciated.
Published in the Kenosha News on Sunday, October 27, 2019