Steven Wilhelm Ruzicka, age 90, recently of Middletown, formerly of Little Silver, passed away peacefully Nov. 5, 2024.
Steven was born in 1933 in Long Branch. He lived in Red Bank most of his life and graduated from Red Bank High School in 1952. Steven was proud of his Red Bank roots; his family settled in the borough in the early 1900s.
Steven married the love of his life, Barbara Brooks-Ruzicka, also of Red Bank, in 1957. Their love story lasted 66 years until Barbara’s passing in 2023.
Steven spent two years in the U.S. Army and was a member of the Little Silver Volunteer Fire Department for many years, Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, Red Bank and the Year Round Sportsman’s Club. His love for the outdoors and passion for hunting and fishing were his great joys.
He was predeceased by his parents, Stephen R. Ruzicka in 1977 and Emma M. Schwanemann-Ruzicka in 1988, and sister Emily Easton in 2009. Steven is survived by his three children, Lisa A. Colmain (husband Edward), Deirdre J. Rice (husband Todd) and Laura J. Scalzo (husband Louis); six grandchildren, Christopher and Cooper Colmain, Megan and Zachary Rice, and Alyssa and Nicole Scalzo; four great-grandchildren, Johanna, Emma and Maverick Contreras (Megan) and Declan Rice (Zachary); and sister Helen Thomas of Fair Haven, along with her children Trevor and Stephen.
Steven had a career with Prown’s of Red Bank for 47 years and was fondly referred to as “the man with the pipe.” After retiring, he and Barbara traveled the world together.
Visitation will be held from 4 to 7 p.m. Monday, Nov. 18 at Thompson Memorial Home, 310 Broad St., Red Bank. A funeral service will be held at 11 a.m. Tuesday, Nov. 19 at the funeral home. Burial with military honors will follow at Fair View Cemetery, Middletown.
The article originally appeared in the November 14 – 20, 2024 print edition of The Two River Times.
