Obituary of Wilhelmus Jeronimus Ruifrok

Wilhelmus (Bill) Ruifrok , 89, of Sterling, VA, passed away Thursday, July 1, 2021 at his home.  

Born on March 19, 1932 in the Netherlands he was the son of the late Wilhelmus Ruifrok and the late Maria Bernacki Ruifrok.   In addition to his parents he was preceded in death by his beloved wife Carol, his younger brother August (Gus), and his sons Jonathan and David. 

After the devastation of World War II he set off for the United States with his mother’s blessing. A 16-year old non-English speaker, he arrived at Ellis Island shortly before it closed its doors as an immigration processing center.

In 1952 he enlisted in the Marines and headed to Parris Island in preparation for the war in Korea. He served three years in Korea as a corporal before being transferred to the 5th Marine Corps Reserves. For his service he was awarded the National Defense Service Medal, Korean Service Medal, and United Nations Service Medal.

Upon his return to civilian life, he took English classes at George Washington University while busing tables at the Hotel Washington. He  would work his way up from bus boy to regional manager for Blackie’s House of Beef, a Washington staple for many years. He would leave the restaurant business behind for, naturally, airplane sales and this is the Bill most of us are familiar with, the salesman. His motto was “You already have a ‘no’, you might as well ask, you might get a yes!”  These are words to live by, except with parents.  If a parent says “no” you must respect that. As with the restaurant business, he was not content to stay on the sales floor and would eventually open his own business, Aircraft Investment Corporation, of which he was President. Although a small office, he had big ambitions and would sell jets for many years, including sales to a few well-known individuals like Elvis Presley and Fred Smith. For much of his career he worked out of the home, and always put his family first. When Carol was diagnosed with ALS he immediately retired and closed the company so he could spend all of his energy selflessly meeting her needs. 

He spent much of the 1980s and early 90s involved with the Ruritan Club, serving as President for at least one term, and spending many  weekends working the food truck at various events or ringing the bell at Christmas time. Wednesdays, of course, were for playing poker while Fridays were for league bowling with Carol. For many years he was an active Mason with the Collington Lodge No. 230 in Bowie, Maryland. 

During his retirement he would be found most days at Herndon Community Center “doing his laps”. The number of laps decreased over the years but the devotion to swimming never did.

He is survived by his daughters Anne and Kathryn, his son, Jerome and his son-in-law Mark. After the death of Carol, his daughter Anne and her husband Mark and their children continued to reside with him.  He was a wonderful grandparent to his grandchildren Andrew, Lily, Riley and Mina; Kathryn’s sons Sullivan and Connor, Jerome’s children; Jonathan, Jessica, Johanna and William as well as David’s and Jonathan’s children and their grandchildren. 

The family will receive friends from 10 to 11:00 AM on Friday, July 9, 2021 at Adams Green Funeral Home.  This will be followed by a Celebration of Life service led by Patricia Fisher.  Burial will follow immediately after at Chestnut Grove Cemetery in Herndon. Afterwards everyone is welcome to attend a repast at the Sterling Ruritan Club, 183 Ruritan Road, Sterling 20164. 

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the American Heart or American Cancer Associations.