Joseph Ruhe spent 32 years in the military helping the wounded as an Army combat surgeon, but his giving nature didn't end after his retirement.
"He'd make friends anywhere he went," said his nephew, Tom Ruhe. "And if you needed something, he would give it if he could. He would think of everything and everyone else before himself."
Dr. Joseph G. Ruhe, of Duquesne, died Saturday, March 17, 2007, in Excela Health Westmoreland Hospital, Greensburg. He was 84.
Born in 1922 to Henry A. and Theresa Nau Ruhe of Duquesne, he enlisted in the Army's specialized training program during World War II. His nephew said a friend of Dr. Ruhe was testing to become a doctor and convinced him to apply as well.
"He never meant to be a doctor," Tom Ruhe said. "But sure enough, he passed the test and his friend didn't."
He graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 1949 and interned at St. Francis Hospital. He was a graduate of the Army's Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kan., eventually reaching the rank of colonel.
Dr. Ruhe served as a combat surgeon in Korea and Vietnam. He also was assigned to various posts throughout the country, including Alaska, New York and New Jersey.
"He went everywhere," Tom Ruhe said. "The only place he said he never saw was Europe."
Dr. Ruhe retired from the Army in 1977 as medical fitness standards officer for the Health Service Command. During his career, he was the recipient of the Bronze Star, the Meritorious Service and the Army Commendation medals.
After his military career, Dr. Ruhe returned to his childhood home in Duquesne to spend time with family and friends. His nephew said he ate out almost every night, going to a different restaurant each day.
"Oh, eating was his hobby," Tom Ruhe said. "He'd open the phone book and go straight down the list. He'd drive two hours, if that's what it took to get to the next one."
Dr. Ruhe was a devout Catholic. Bill Gallagher, a fellow parishioner at St. Joseph Church in Duquesne, said he saw Dr. Ruhe every day at the 7:30 a.m. Mass.
"Every morning, even when he had to use his walker to come down the street, he'd stop and wave at me on his way out," Gallagher said. "He was a friendly, intelligent and very, very good-living man."
In his spare time, Dr. Ruhe enjoyed crossword puzzles and sharing tales from his time in the military.
"He was kind of a low-key person," Tom Ruhe said. "He never told people he was a doctor, never bragged about it. But once you got him started with stories, you couldn't get him to stop. He just always had a witty answer to things."
Dr. Ruhe is survived by a brother, William Ruhe, of Elizabeth Borough; and five nephews.
In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by three brothers, Leo, Paul and Henry Ruhe; and four sisters, Gertrude Clarke, Katherine Wineland, Sister Agnes Therese Ruhe and Sister Mary Lea Ruhe, both with the Sisters of Divine Providence.
Visitation will be from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. today at Maloy-Schleifer Funeral Home, 915 Kennedy Ave., Duquesne.
A blessing service is scheduled for 9 a.m. Wednesday at the funeral home, followed by Mass of Christian Burial at 9:30 a.m. in St. Joseph Church, Duquesne, with the Rev. Dennis Colamarino as celebrant. Burial, with military honors, will follow in St. Joseph Cemetery.
