Preston Ruffino

Preston A. Ruffino, 93, of Burton, died December 4, 2014 at St. Joseph Regional Health Center in Bryan. Mr. Ruffino was born Dec. 3, 1921 in Houston to Sam and Laura LaPaglia Ruffino, and lived in the Houston area for a number of years. On March 15, 1968 he was married to Frankie Jo Graham. He was retired, having worked as a welder for a number of years. Memberships included the Burton Volunteer Fire Dept., and St. Mary''s Catholic Church of Brenham. Preston was an avid hunter and fisherman. A talented craftsman, he could build anything, and was known to try to repair everything to avoid throwing it away. Funeral services will be at 10 a.m., Tuesday, December 9, 2014 at St. Mary''s Catholic Church. Burial will be at 2:30 p.m. Tuesday in Morton Cemetery in Richmond. The family will receive friends and relatives Monday evening from 6 until 8 p.m. at Memorial Oaks Chapel, with a Rosary scheduled for 7 p.m. Survivors include his wife, Frankie Jo Graham of Burton; sons and daughters-in-law Preston E. and Cheryl Ruffino of Anderson; Sam and Charlene Ruffino of Shepard, Tx., and Richard and Margaret Wade of Longview; daughter and son-in-law Brenda and Gene Fowler of Richmond Hills; sister-in-law Lou Ruffino of Burton; sister Mary Palasota of Houston, as well as numerous cousins and other relatives. He was preceded in death by his parents, an infant daughter, and a brother and sister. Serving as pallbearers are Preston E. Ruffino, Sam Ruffino, Richard Wade, Jeff Tabar, Ferrell Murders, and Wayne Ratcliff. Memorials may be directed to St. Mary''s Catholic Church of Brenham or to any favorite charity. Funeral arrangements for Preston A. Ruffino are entrusted to Memorial Oaks Chapel, 1306 W. Main, Brenham. To view the obituary online, visit www.memorialoakschapel.com.