Compassionate, brilliant source of inspiration
Beloved father, professor, photographer, counselor, botanist, astronomer, songwriter, comedian, musician, mentor, and motorcyclist, Bill Ruff lived a dynamic and impactful life. Donning the moniker “Your Highness” in his peer counseling circle, Bill’s grace, intelligence, compassion, and humility demonstrated his deep dedication to supporting others. Rooted in the earth as well as the heavens, his two daughters, Emily and Kelsie, enjoyed digging in the dirt with their father just as much as stargazing. They were his favorite photography subjects.
Bill wore many hats throughout his life, from alligator handler to home builder to piano tutor, demonstrating his innumerable talents. He expressed his creative spirit by writing, playing and recording music, and preparing family-loved Scottish sweets on holidays. A man of limitless inspiration and tireless ambition, he was a true gentleman, sensitive and attuned to emotional and physical realms.
Bill’s early years were spent on a tropical fruit farm in Florida. At six, a visit to a local observatory sparked a lifelong interest in astronomy. His childhood on the farm, combined with studying Latin in high school, eventually led to a career in plant taxonomy, including bachelor’s and master’s degrees in botany. As a teen, Bill discovered his talent for music. He founded a local band, The Incidentals, in the late 1960s, before becoming road manager for the band Flow. He co-authored a song with legendary guitarist Don Felder in 1970. Love of astronomy and photography took him to Bogotá, Colombia, in the 1970s to capture solar eclipses. He also went on trips to view shuttle launches, organized community stargazing events, and savored an autographed, first-edition copy of Buzz Aldrin’s book “Magnificent Desolation.”
As a professor of earth and space science at a local community college for most of his adult life, he showed his students the natural wonders of the world. With true charisma, he toted around a binder full of presentation-ready jokes, broke out perfect Spanish at Mexican restaurants, and sarcastically joked that, after a single ski lesson, he’d surely continue to Olympic qualifiers.
Though he struggled with various mental health diagnoses, remnants of early-life trauma, and lifelong substance misuse, he worked hard to maintain wellness. Bill was active in groups like NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) and Wings Across Alabama as an advocate, facilitator, peer counselor, and trainer in his later years. His work influenced state legislature, landing him on local news.
In 2016, a grant from the Twilight Wish Foundation outfitted his apartment with recording equipment, and he quickly produced a catalog of original music. Though misuse caused separation from his daughters in the 1990s, the trio later reconnected to form authentic, meaningful bonds that made up for lost time. Bill lived with his daughter in Vermont in his final years, preparing to relocate there full-time to be closer to his family, continue his music, watch the stars from northern skies, and stay active in peer counseling and advocacy.
Unfortunately, COVID-19 and the related disruption to his social and support systems ended Bill’s life in 2020.
Three separate Zoom memorials followed to accommodate the many grieving hearts he touched. The depth and breadth of his impact were extraordinary. His daughters, inspired by his courage, his transformation of pain into purpose, and his 6commitment to advocacy, are forever shaped by his example. Though their grief is indescribable, it has led them to further his cause, to see the beauty in everything around them, and share his legacy as openly and genuinely as he lived his life.
Bill’s daughter, Emily Ruff, provided the information for this narrative.
October 10, 1948-May 19, 2020-Age 71
Portrait Artist: Clayton Conner
Narrative Writer: Jill Denton
