Obituary

John r. Ruddick, 55, of teays valley, wv, passed away peacefully on tuesday in his home surrounded by family and friends.  he is survived by his wife of 32 years, patty; daughters catherine  kopera and her husband robert, and amanda barone and her husband chris.  john is also survived by his parents, john and joyce ruddick of wilmington de; his brothers james (carol) ruddick, michael (sandra) ruddick, and edward (tracey) ruddick; his sisters marybeth (ruddick) embras (joe), theresa (ruddick) morrin (tom), and susan (ruddick) quinn (tim); and his many nieces and nephews. 
in 1980, john received his bachelor’s degree in accounting from villanova university, where he met his wife.  he later received his master’s degree in business administration from the university of charleston in 1998. 
john started his career as a cpa at coopers and lybrand in baltimore, md following graduation from villanova.  in 1983, john began working for c&p of maryland.  in 1986, he was transferred to wv and held several management positions.  in july, 2012, he became the executive director and retired in october, 2013, as general manager of verizon, west virginia. 
john was a very active member of the community and served on several boards including:  the wv public employees insurance agency, the wv state chamber of commerce, the wv special olympics, the huntington chamber of commerce, the marshall artist series, the wv humanities council, and the charleston area alliance.  he was also the past chairman of the board of directors of the education alliance and the putnam county chamber of commerce.  john also served as member of the west virginia university school of business and economics advisory committee.  he was named an honorary west virginian in 2013.
John loved being with his family and friends and he especially loved being a “pop pop” to his two grandchildren, john and maria.  john also loved cheering for the villanova wildcats, vacationing at the beach with his family, and a good glass of wine with friends and co-workers.  he also loved his adopted home of west virginia and said, “the nicest people in the world live in west virginia.”  but most of all, john was a loving husband, devoted father and son, and a true believer in jesus christ.
John was passionate about many organizations.  if you would like to send a donation in honor of john, please send it to any one of the following: the basilica of the co-cathedral of the sacred heart, 1032 virginia street east, charleston, wv 25301; the catholic church of ascension, 905 hickory mill road, hurricane, wv 25526; the university of massachusetts memorial medical association, 333 south street; shrewsbury, ma 01545; or the west virginia special olympics, 1206 virginia st east, suite 100, charleston, wv 25301.
Mass of christian burial will be held at 11:00 a.M.  monday, january 27, at the basilica of the co-catheral of the sacred heart.  the visitation will be two hours prior to the service at the church. 
you may send condolences to the family at: www.Barlowbonsall.Com
barlow-bonsall funeral home is in charge of the arrangements.