Theodore T. Ruhf, Jr.

Theodore “Ted” Thomas Ruhf, 68, of Bethlehem, died surrounded by family and friends at St. Luke’s University Hospital in Fountain Hill on Sunday, April 23, 2023, after a short illness.

Ted was born on December 18, 1954, in Bethlehem, PA, the son of Theresa A. (Villani) Ruhf and Theodore T. Ruhf Sr. He joins his loving wife and best friend, Linda Louise (Boyle) Ruhf, and their daughter, Lindsey Danielle Ruhf, in eternal rest and peace.

Ted was proud to call Bethlehem his home his entire life. The son of a steelworker, he cared deeply for the city and the Lehigh Valley. Throughout all his years, he was a true expression of hard work and the blue-collar grit that had at one time defined the spirit of eastern Pennsylvania.

He is a 1972 graduate of Freedom High School, a place that brought him lifelong friendships that never failed to deliver laughter, love, cold drinks, and great music. After graduation, he channeled his strong work ethic into a career devoted to facilities management. In his lifetime, he was an employee of Holiday Inn in Trexlertown; Lehigh University; Sacred Heart Hospital in Allentown, PA; Warren Hospital in Phillipsburg, NJ; and St. Luke’s University Health Network. He accomplished what few can do today without a college degree, starting in entry level facilities roles only to become a senior leader at several area hospitals. He retired from St. Luke’s in 2020.

As an avid drummer, there were few things that Ted loved more than drumming along to a tune with a drink in hand. But being a devoted husband and loving father and grandfather surpassed everything else. 

Ted is survived by his son, Christopher Durnin and his wife, Sydney, and their daughters, Jillianne and Isabelle of Bethlehem; son, Thomas Ruhf and his wife, Maggie, and their sons, Quincy and Jonah of Emmaus, PA; daughter, Kaitlyn Ruhf, and her husband, Joshua Suzuki of Walnut Cove, NC; daughter, Laura (Ruhf) Bannon and her husband, John, and their daughters Ella, Thea, Amelia, and Daisy of Bethlehem; mother-in-law, Norma Finch of Allentown, PA; brother-in-law, Bruce Boyle of Nixa, MO; and brother-in-law Mark Boyle of Allentown, PA.

He is preceded in death by his father, Theodore Thomas Ruhf Sr., in 1975, and his mother, Theresa (Villani) Ruhf, in 2020; brother, Robert "Booner" Ruhf, in 2017; his wife, Linda Ruhf, in 2018; his daughter, Lindsey Ruhf, in 1990; and his father-in-law, David Finch, in 2016.

Services: A Memorial Service will be held at 11 A.M. Saturday, April 29, 2023 at the Cantelmi Long Funeral Home, 500 Linden Street, Bethlehem, PA 18018. Calling hours will be held on Friday evening from 6 P.M. to 8 P.M. and also on Saturday morning from 10 A.M. until time of the service in the funeral home. Interment will be at Holy Saviour Cemetery in Bethlehem. A memory tribute may be placed at www.cantelmifuneralhome.com.

Contributions: In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Angel 34 Foundation, P.O. Box 494, Nazareth, PA 18064 or Dream Come True, P.O. Box 21167, Lehigh Valley, PA 18002 or Edgeboro Moravian Church Building Fund; 645 Hamilton Ave., Bethlehem, PA 18017.

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