John (Johann) Ruhland

John (Johann) Ruhland  

 der Nachruf, die Todesanzeige, Obituary

John George Ruhland, born Johann Georg Ruhland in Munich on Nov. 26, 1933, died peacefully in Santa Fe on Sept. 1, 2026. He lived through WWII in Germany, and because of the difficult times, began training as a civil servant in the Munich court system. In 1953 he emigrated to New York and earned a BS degree from Hunter College. He went on to earn a Masters degree in Physics from the University of Pennsylvania, and began working in Rochester, first with General Motors' Delco Instruments Division, and then with Xerox Corporation, where he worked for 32 1/2 years, earning many patents. For a period of time, John also taught evening courses in the physics department at the University of Rochester.

John met his future wife, Rosemarie Purrmann, while hiking in the Bavarian Alps, shortly before departing for the US. They married in 1958 and had six children: Catherine, Charlotte, John, Christina, Joan Miranda, and Constance. John gained American citizenship in 1960, and voted in every election thereafter. He spent the last year of his life with his daughter in Santa Fe, a place he had dreamed of visiting since his youth. He is survived by his children, ten grandchildren, three great grandchildren, and seven nieces and nephews. Rosemarie passed away in 2017. His sister, Maria Theresia, passed away in 1977. John (or Hans, as he liked to be called in early and later years) was a person of faith, loved art and music, and sang in the Saint Joseph's Church Choir in Penfield. He loved spending time outdoors with hobbies including hiking, biking, skiing, and gardening. He could navigate a boat by the stars, and taught a number of courses through the Power Squadron. He demonstrated book binding at The Genesee Valley Country Museum for many years. An avid reader since youth, John had a book collection that spanned the Dewey Decimal System: history, literature, poetry, science, math, social sciences, music, art, philosophy, and religion. Before traveling to a foreign country, he would study the language, culture, and cuisine - most notably before trips to Spain and Japan. His final trips to Europe and Egypt were taken in his 90's.

John was not just a Renaissance man, he was also a dedicated father who imparted his love of learning, his love for nature, and his desire to help the world, to his six children. An enthusiastic storyteller with a keen sense of humor, he relished sharing his observations and life adventures with others.