Jerome F. Ruff grew up on his family’s farm on Fish Lake in Maple Grove. He graduated from De La Salle High School in Minneapolis and attended St. John’s University in Collegeville, Minnesota. Along with his older brother Vern, he owned grocery stores on West Broadway and Aldrich Avenue North, 19th and Hennepin and on West Broadway in Robbinsdale.
The brothers also owned the Drewry Bottling Company in St. Paul which bottled Squirt soda pop and other tasty beverages. Jerome Ruff’s daughter, Betty, was named Miss Robbinsdale in 1945. For over twenty years the Ruff Bros. groceries took out weekly advertisements in the Minneapolis Tribune that listed prices of popular items in long columns. The businesses were sold or closed in the 1950’s.
Jerome Ruff served as president of the Lions Club and Minnesota Bottlers Association. He was a life member of the Knights of Columbus and longtime member of the Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Robbinsdale. After the Ruff Bros. closed up shop Jerome and his wife Clara moved to Sun City, Arizona and enjoyed a long retirement. Jerome passed away in 1990 at the age of 93.
