Hans Ruffler

Hans Ruffler, age 88, of Pompton Plains, passed away peacefully on Friday, April 25, 2025.

Hans was born in Heilbronn, Germany, the third of four children and the only son to his parents, Karl and Else (née Rechkemmer) Ruffler. The Ruffler family lived in a house in the city center, above the family’s furniture store and upholstery rooms.

Hans’ grandfather, Karl Ruffler, had left Germany for the United States in the 1870s and become a U.S. citizen in 1878, but then returned to Germany and opened the furniture store in the mid-1880s.

In 1944, the Ruffler family’s house was destroyed during a bombing of the city center. Hans’ father was killed, and his mother and the four children, sheltering in the basement during the bombing, eventually found refuge outside of the city. After living in multiple temporary locations, the family rebuilt their house and business.

The Rufflers lived near the Neckar River, where Hans swam often. He and his friends once built a raft from scraps they found along the river bank. They toiled many hours. When they finally floated down the river, they realized they had forgotten to account for the current making it impossible to come back. The friends abandoned their raft and resigned to a long walk home.

Hans’ love for adventure was undeterred. As a teenager, he and his friends went on weeklong excursions to Switzerland by bicycle. In his teen years, he also developed a lifelong love of photography, inspired by his father.

During high school, students were encouraged to have an American pen pal. Hans became pen pals with a girl living in Mesa, Arizona. They stayed in contact long after high school.

After graduating, Hans completed a three-year apprenticeship to prepare him to take over the family business. However, plans changed, and in 1957 he followed his sister Eva to the United States instead, landing jobs such as surveyor’s helper and Bond Bread salesman, making early morning deliveries and singing as he drove. (To his surprise, he found out much later that his customers could hear him and had dubbed him the “singing bread man”.)

Hans’ American pen pal’s parents owned a swimming pool business in Mesa. They invited Hans to come and work for them, and he was ready for a new adventure. In Arizona, Hans spent his free time exploring the surroundings in his first car, a Studebaker, marveling at the landscape so different from what he knew.

Hans’ mother, stepfather, and younger sister, Ute, arrived in New Jersey in 1959. His mother sent him a plane ticket to return to New Jersey. Shortly thereafter, he was inducted into the Army and went to basic training at Camp Kilmer, where officers encouraged him to pursue higher education.

After an honorable discharge, Hans began working at Warner-Lambert Pharmaceutical Company in Morris Plains. He enrolled at Fairleigh Dickinson University in Madison, attending classes at night over the next twelve years and graduating with a B.S. in Marketing and, ultimately, an MBA.

As if he weren’t busy enough during those years, he found time to fall in love with a fellow immigrant, from Sweden, Gunnel (née Larsson), who also worked in the International Division of Warner Lambert. In 1966, they married and held their reception at Germania Park, Dover. They then settled into a garden apartment in Parsippany and over the next few years, they welcomed their daughters Lisa and Susan.

In 1971, Hans took a job with American Cyanamid in Wayne and the family moved to Packanack Lake. The house at 1 Sunset Terrace was a dream come true for the couple. Hans was thrilled to have a workshop in the basement, where he made bookshelves, a toy chest, candlesticks, and later on an incredible dollhouse with handmade furniture. He built a work bench for his girls and introduced them to woodworking. (Much later, he also built a playhouse for the girls, “1½  Sunset Terrace,” from scraps after a renovation project. The playhouse was eventually taken over by his grandchildren. It is still there!)

The family joined the Packanack Community Church, where Hans and Gunnel made lifelong friendships and Hans sang in the church choir, served as a trustee, and helped wherever he could lend a hand.

Hans and Gunnel welcomed a third daughter, Heidi, in 1974.

In February 1979, the Rufflers moved to Gosport, England after Hans accepted a transfer, which lasted until the summer of 1980. The family then returned to their treasured home in Packanack Lake, which had been rented out.

In 1982, Hans accepted a position with Luitpold Pharma, a pharmaceutical company in Munich, Germany. This lasted until 1999, when the company was acquired by a Japanese company, Sankyo GMBH, and Hans retired.

One of Hans’ countless highlights of being back in Germany was reconnecting with his German relatives, including his older sister, Inge, who had stayed in Germany, and her family. He went on many mountain climbing weekend trips with two cousins also named Hans, a cause of confusion when the two other fellows would call out “Hans” and all three responded.

One other highlight was the family’s cabin in Sweden, where Hans used his skills and strength, felling trees and building a stone path when Gunnel asked for one.

Other highlights included making a great group of friends and enjoying an active lifestyle, skiing in the Alps, hiking, learning to play the guitar, and traveling. Hans also developed a love of cooking, exploring many German recipes and keeping track in the margins of his cookbooks of the date and how well the recipe turned out. (Almost all, “very good!”)

After retirement, Hans and Gunnel once again returned to their home in Packanack Lake and were welcomed back warmly by their friends and family. Hans re-joined the church choir and took up watercolor painting with a group of friends at the Packanack Lake Clubhouse. He also loved playing tennis and enjoyed a variety of classes at the Center for Lifelong Learning at Kinnelon Library.

Hans and Gunnel welcomed numerous grandchildren: Alexandra and bonus granddaughter Sarah, Markus, Mia, Annika, and Matteo. The grandchildren were introduced to German nursery rhymes and songs by their Opa (grandfather in German). In time, family members couldn’t help but notice several of Opa’s traits among the grandkids, including athleticism, music, art, curiosity, mischievousness, interest in cooking and sharing food, and a love for nature.

In 2020, Hans and Gunnel sold their beloved home in Packanack Lake and moved to Cedar Crest. The pandemic had just started. In spite of restrictions, Hans and Gunnel were lucky to start playing bocce and meet fellow residents that summer.

Eventually, hiking, gardening, exercise classes, and pickle ball became part of their daily lives. Last summer, Hans had a chance to show some of his watercolor paintings at Cedar Crest, an occasion for an extended family gathering. Time seemed to pass faster than ever.

Hans is survived by Gunnel, his wife of 59 years, daughters Lisa, Susan (Andrew), and Heidi, grandchildren Alexandra, Sarah, Markus, Mia, Annika, and Matteo, his sister Ute Morris, many nieces and nephews, and friends in the U.S., Germany, Sweden, U.K., and Portugal.

For those unable to attend in person, the ceremony will be live-streamed at  https://www.youtube.com/@packanackcommunitychurch/streams.

In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation in Hans’ name to the Packanack Community Church or St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.