May 10, 2021 | 1:40 PM Neil Ruffner, 62, of Zeeland, passed away peacefully surrounded by his wife and children on Sunday, May 9, 2021, at his home following a long courageous journey with heart failure and two years of progressing lung cancer. Neil was born May 30, 1958, in Mishawaka, Indiana, to Dan and Mary Ruffner. The Ruffner family moved to Zeeland when Neil was 7 years old. Neil was the middle child of three Ruffner children and graduated from Zeeland High School in 1976. He married Karen Smith on January 19, 1979, and raised their children together in Zeeland. Neil started Ruffner Construction and worked 45 years as a construction contractor before retiring. Neil did countless projects and some of his larger notable projects were: Yntema Funeral Home, Residential Parade Home, cottages, FMB-Zeeland Main Street, many downtown Zeeland commercial properties, the New Groningen Schoolhouse, his children’s homes. He finished out his career completing the Graphix Signs and Embroidery building. He was preceded in death by his parents Dan and Mary, father-in-law Paul Smith, and brother-in-law Tom Smith.