Lee Ann Ruff, age 83, passed away on Wednesday, January 8, 2025 at the Kansas City Hospice House in Kansas City, Missouri. A celebration of life will be held on January 22, 2025  from 3:00 pm to 6:00 pm at Tanners Grille at Red Bridge Shopping Center (Red Bridge Road and Holmes Road).

Lee Ann Ruff was born January 22, 1941 to Efton and Nettie Bradley in Windsor, Missouri.  She lived in Calhoun and was blessed with a sister Gail in 1945, they moved to Chillicothe, Missouri during their childhood.  Lee Ann  loved to watch sporting events, show steers, and participate in 4-H activities.  She was the Exhibitor of the Grand Champion Steer in August of 1952 at the Missouri State Fair. She was involved in the band, and Future Teachers of America,  graduating from Chillicothe High School in 1959.

Lee Ann went to the University of Missouri for college where she met Nelson Ruff during her freshman year.   Lee Ann was an active member of the Tri Delta Sorority and found great friendships during her college time. She married Nelson on December 23, 1962 while juggling studying hard to graduate college.  She graduated with her Bachelor of Science in Education for public elementary teaching on June 4th, 1963.

Lee Ann started her teaching career in Columbia, Missouri as a first grade teacher for the 1963-1964 school year.  Nelson and Lee Ann then moved to the Kansas City area where she continued to teach first grade for the Shawnee Mission school district starting in 1964 to 1967.  In 1968 she changed to Center school district and was a teacher there till 1980 when she took a job at Loretto Elementary in 1981 to 1984, teaching kindergarten to third grade.  After this Lee Ann started substituting so she could spend more time with her family at home. She continued being a substitute teacher till 1999 because of her love for teaching and watching  the children learn and grow under her care.

Lee Ann and Nelson were blessed with two sons Michael and Tom.  Lee Ann enjoyed spending time with her children and assisting them with their endeavors through swim lessons, webelos, cub scouts, and many other activities.  She also loved to spend time making quits to keep everyone warm and to show her love for them.  Lee Ann  created many lasting friendships through activities she did such as gourmet club where she found great joy with those she spent time with. She and Nelson also love to travel, taking trips to Germany,  Hawaii, and visiting national treasures in the United States.  She loved to make holiday cookies and made sure to take care packages of cookies to her friends and family during Christmas time each year.

She was overjoyed when she was able to welcome all of her grandchildren into the world. Lee Ann has 5 grandchildren who all meant the world to her Ryan, Jake, Liam, Gabrielle, and Katerina. She loved to teach them to cook her special dishes and make cakes.  She engaged with them by helping them with art and craft projects, playing outside, trying to teach them the piano at times, and watching them spend time at the lake swimming and on boat rides. She found great joy in watching them grow and they found great joy in being with their grandmother.

Lee Ann is survived by her two loving sons Michael (Jennifer) of Butler, Missouri, Tom of Kansas City, Missouri, sister Gail Dwyer of Georgia, her 5 grandchildren Ryan, Jake, Liam, Gabrielle, and Katerina,  niece Meghan, and nephews Brad and Zach. She was preceded in death by her parents Efton and Nettie Bradley, and her adoring husband  of 62 years Nelson Ruff.

Arrangements have been entrusted to Vansant-Mills Funeral Home in Clinton, Missouri.