Obituary of Ricardo Jesus Ruz

Ricardo (Rick) Ruz Rick Ruz passed away peacefully surrounded by his family, on Wednesday May 12th at Enloe Hospital, following an 18-month battle against colon cancer. Ricardo Jesus Ruz was born July 4, 1945 in Mexico City, Mexico to Manuel & Adela Ruz. He was raised in Mexico City until his family moved to Costa Mesa in 1955. Rick was an excellent athlete who played many sports. In his Sr. year of high school he placed first in his weight class in the CA State wrestling finals. Rick attended Long Beach State University on a wrestling scholarship and was slated to be a member of the 1968 USA Olympic Wrestling team, but was unable to participate. Rick earned a bachelor's degree in teaching and graduated in 1969. In 1967 he met the love of his life, Betty Bray, on a Southern California beach. He thought she was cute, so he threw a dead fish on her. They married and welcomed a son (Richard) in 1968 and a 2nd son (Marc) in 1971. In 1979, Rick moved his family to Chico, to continue his career in automotive repair, and began working as Service Manager at JC Penny Automotive. In 1985 Rick and his good friend Leroy Radtke opened Precision Auto Repair, in Chico. Precision Auto is still open for business 36 years later. Rick never knew a stranger. If he met you once, you had a friend for life. He was always up for a good time and was often called the “Life of the Party”. His sense of humor was legendary, and he always had a smile to share with you, and if you were lucky, a joke to tell you! There was nothing more important to Rick than his family. While his boys were growing up, he could be found coaching their baseball and soccer teams, often leading the teams to win championship titles. He served as President of Westside Little League in the mid 1980’s.. He was Uncle Rick to his many nieces and nephews, and they all held a special place in his big heart. Rick loved being Grandpa to Nolan, Tristyn and Bella. He was a daily presence in his grandkids lives and they adored him. He taught each of his grandkids how to swim, wrestle, speak Spanish, and the importance of listening to good rock music. He could always be found cheering loudly at Tristyn’s softball games. Rick was a forever Los Angeles Dodger’s fan and loved watching the games with his family. Rick is survived by Betty, his wife of 53 years, son Ricky & daughter in law Cathy (Nolan & Tristyn), son Marc & daughter in law Amber (Bella), all of Chico, a brother Gabe of Chula Vista, and sister Yolanda of Westminster, numerous nieces & nephews, and many close friends. The family will be holding a celebration of his life on his birthday, July 4th. To send a flower arrangement or to plant trees in memory of Ricardo Jesus Ruz, please click here to visit our Sympathy Store.