Obituary of Eugene Thomas Ruane

Eugene Thomas Ruane (February 2, 1949 – August 2, 2018)

Eugene Thomas Ruane passed away at First Landing State Park in Virginia Beach, Virginia on Thursday, August 2, 2018.  Born and raised in Scranton, Pennsylvania, he is the son of Mary Agnes Moran Ruane and the late Eugene P. Ruane.  He graduated from Scranton Central High School, attended the University of Scranton, and graduated from The Pennsylvania State University with a degree in Anthropology.  Upon graduation, he worked for the Social Security Administration in Norfolk, Virginia and Williamsport, Pennsylvania.  He then relocated to Washington, D.C. and graduated from The George Washington University Law School.  He entered into private practice in Leesburg, Virginia, where he specialized in real estate and family & juvenile law.  His love for the outdoors led him to work in acquisitions for The Nature Conservancy in Leesburg and Arlington, and then as legal counsel for The National Audubon Society in New York City—work that provided him the privilege of visiting 46 of the 50 states.  He returned to Virginia and opened a private legal practice while simultaneously acquiring and managing real-estate properties in the Sterling area.  Always interested in business and a challenge, he later managed the Dulles Country Inn and Suites for several years, and his efforts earned the property Carlson’s Hotel of the Year Award. 

He was an avid volunteer, giving time to Sully Elementary School and Sterling Middle School, and serving as the Park View High School band’s photographer from 1998 to 2002.  He gave more than a decade of his life to the Boy Scouts of America, serving most notably as the Scoutmaster for Troop 970 in Sterling.  During his Scouting career, he led the troop on monthly camping trips, annual trips to Goshen summer camp, and high-adventure excursions to the Philmont Scout Ranch and the Charles L. Sommers Wilderness Canoe Base.  He was active in the Blue Ridge District’s Junior Leadership Training program, Adult Leader Training, Wood Badge, and Order of the Arrow, and he attended several National Jamborees.  His extraordinary dedication earned him several of Scouting’s highest honors, including the Silver Beaver Award and the Order of the Arrow’s Vigil Honor.  His passion for photography and his strong Catholic faith led him to volunteer with the March for Life, and there, his role and responsibilities grew from volunteer photographer to consultant, legal counsel, special assistant, and dear friend to March for Life President Nellie Gray.

He was a beloved son, husband, father, and grandfather.  He enjoyed spending time with his family, especially on annual vacations to First Landing State Park in Virginia Beach, Virginia.  He loved to read.  He loved to learn.  He was a self-taught chef who took great joy in providing new and delicious meals for his wife Rosalie and their family.  He regularly traded cooking tips and strategies with his daughter Amanda during their treasured daily telephone conversations.  He loved working on home improvements with his son, Jeremy, and he’d recently employed his “great helper” grandsons, Matthew and Zachary, on a few projects.  Always a lover of the outdoors, he particularly enjoyed gardening, camping, hiking, canoeing, and fishing.  He was an avid fan of the Baltimore Orioles.

He is survived by his wife, Rosalie Chopko Ruane, of Sterling, Virginia, son Jeremy E. Ruane, of Stone Ridge, Virginia, daughter Amanda Schwenk and her husband Ray, of Clarks Summit, Pennsylvania, and grandsons Matthew and Zachary Schwenk.  He is also survived by his mother, Mary Agnes Moran Ruane of Alexandria, Virginia.  Also surviving are a brother, Michael Ruane of Fairfax, Virginia, three sisters—Anne Glassman and her husband Barry, of Lakeville, Minnesota, Mary Jane Blodgett of Alexandria, Virginia, and Janet Ruane of Garwood, New Jersey, his Uncle Michael Moran, of Drums, Pennsylvania, brother-in-law Andy Chopko and his wife Mary Ann, of Concord, North Carolina, brother-in-law Dave Chopko and his wife Roberta, of Boonton, New Jersey, as well as numerous cousins, nieces, and nephews.  He was predeceased by his brother, Thomas P. Ruane in 2009, and his nephew, Michael P. Ruane in 1997.  A Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Friday, August 17 at 11:00 A.M. at Saint Joseph Catholic Church in Herndon, Virginia.  Interment will follow at Fairfax Memorial Park in Fairfax, Virginia.  In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made in Gene’s name to: Saint Joseph’s Center, Adoption and Maternity Services, 320 South Blakely Street, Dunmore, Pennsylvania 18512.  Relatives and friends may call Thursday from 5:00 to 8:00 P.M. at the Adams Green Funeral Home on 721 Elden Street, Herndon, Virginia.