Vicente B. Ruiz
October 27, 1919 - August 19, 2006
Obituary
Our father, Vicente B. Ruiz, “Cap”, “Vic” , joined his Creator on August 19, 2006. He passed away at the age of 86 at home surrounded by family and friends in Seattle. Born in Laoag, Ilocos Norte on October 27, 1919, Vic attended the University of the Philippines College of Engineering. He was a US Veteran, and fought in Bataan during World War II. He survived the Bataan Death March and was a prisoner-of-war in the Capas, Tarlac concentration camp.
He had a fulfilling career in Aviation, and one of the first pilots of the Philippines. He founded PATS Flying School, the first flying school in the Philippines. This eventually became Feati Flying School where he was a flight instructor. He was chief pilot at Lepanto Consolidated Mining Company. As a flight instructor, he taught foreign diplomats and ambassadors to the Philippines from the United States, the Netherlands, Norway, Canada and Switzerland. He also taught flying to some of the elite in Philippine business, among them Hans Menzi, Enriquito Zobel, Mike Campos, Alfredo Carmelo, Bill Suter, and Leonard Benjamin to name a few. He is credited to be the first Filipino to have flown a King Air around the world.
Vic loved music and played the violin, saxophone, and guitar. He founded the company orchestra while working for Lepanto Mining. At retirement, he volunteered his musical talents to church and social activities. In his later years, Vic and his wife also volunteered at the Filipino Community Center in Seattle, and won the Outstanding Volunteer Award in 2003.
He is survived by his wife, Aurea P. Ruiz, and his four children, Harriet, Philip, Mary Joy, Glenn, his daughter-in-law Cristina, son-in-law, Robert Molleston, and two grandchildren, April and Kristine May.
My sincere condolences to Dr. Joy and her entire family with the passing of Mr. Ruiz. Know that each of you are in my prayers today and each passing day.