Dominick Ruffatto

Dominick L. Ruffatto, 88, a longtime Whitefish resident, passed away April 15, 2007, at the North Valley Hospital in Whitefish after a long and courageous battle with Alzheimer's.

Dominick was born to Lawrence and Alice Ruffatto in Tacoma, Wash., on Sept. 2, 1918, where his father was stationed at Camp Lewis.

The family moved to Butte, where Dominick grew up. He was very active in baseball and belonged to the McQueen Athletic Club.

Dominick married Verna Koski in September 1941 in Butte. After World War II was declared, the couple moved to Seattle, where Dominick worked for Tidewater Oil Co. and Verna worked at Boeing Aircraft.

He enlisted in the Army in 1942 and was stationed at Chico Army Air Force Base in Chico, Calif. Verna learned to drive by driving from Seattle to Chico. Dominick was sent to the South Pacific and was in the battles and campaigns at New Guinea and Biak Island. He was discharged in 1945.

Dominick went to school on the G.I. Bill. He received his bachelor's from the Normal College in Dillon and a master's in education from Oregon State College in 1954.

He became a school administrator for 31 years. He retired in 1980 and moved to 14 acres on the Bitterroot River. Then in 1993, Dominick and Verna moved to Whitefish to be near their son Christopher.

Dominick loved music and was in many music recitals and memorial services. He also sang in two Gilbert and Sullivan operas and played the part of Henry Plummer, sheriff of Virginia City.

He was active in baseball, golf, skiing, dancing and traveling. He loved people. While living in the Bitterroot, he sang at many retirement and nursing homes, from Missoula to Hamilton. He was also a part of the choir at St. Charles in Whitefish.

Dominick was a marshall at the Whitefish Lake Golf Course for many years. If no one was near on the course, he was known to break into song. His family will miss dearly his love, humor and at any time a song from his heart. His family was precious to him. He will be singing with angels and will once again remember the words.

Dominick was preceded in death by his father and mother, Lawrence and Hilda Ruffatto; his birth mother, Alice Ungherine; brother Bruno Cello; sister Eleanor Ruffatto; aunt and uncle Clara and Frank Ruffatto, of the Bitterroot Valley; and by numerous other family members.

Survivors include his wife of 66 years, Verna, in Whitefish; son Christopher Ruffatto and ex-wife Susan and their children Ben, Brian and Kelly, in Whitefish; son Michael Ruffatto, in Missoula; sisters Thelma Hollingsworth, in Columbia Falls, and Joyce Chouinard, in Bozeman, and Evelyn Wilcox, in Nanimo, British Columbia; brother-in-law Walfred Koski and wife Elsa, of Grants Pass, Ore.; nephew Ray Koski, of Livermore, Calif.; Army buddy Bill Treglown, of Helena; as well many other family and friends in the U.S. and Finland.

Memorial services will take place at a date to be announced at St. Charles Catholic Church in Whitefish.