Carmichael Parks Foundation directors and Bob Ruffner (kneeling, third from right) pose with the metal and fused glass sign recently erected at Sharon Ruffner Plaza.

CARMICHAEL, CA (MPG) - More than 150 friends of Sharon Ruffner recently gathered to dedicate a corner of Carmichael Park to the community pillar. A sign was unveiled near where skate and water-play facilities are planned.

Designed by her husband, Bob Ruffner, and artist Nancy Oudegeest, the sign reflects Ruffner’s athletic passion. She led exercise classes for 30 years in nearby Veterans Hall. Ruffner taught water aerobics in the now demolished park pool. Through her work for the park’s charitable foundation, Ruffner was a dynamic force for amenity improvements and youth opportunity.

In January 2024, Sharon Ruffner died from cancer. She was 64 years old. Her memorial service was one of the largest events ever hosted by the La Sierra Community Center. During the service, the Carmichael Parks Foundation announced that foundation youth grants would thereafter be called “Sharon Ruffner Scholarships” and that part of Carmichael Park would be named for her.

Sharon Ruffner family members unveil signage commemorating Sharon Ruffner’s passion for exercise, fitness and community.

In the year that followed, a memorial sign took shape from wrought iron and fused glass. Erected in a glade of oak and redwood trees, its glass panels show skateboarding, tennis, bocce, pickle ball, disk golf and basketball athletes. The legend describes Ruffner’s history of volunteer effort.

Ruffner’s family members unveiled the sign April 22 to thunderous applause. Speakers shared memories of Ruffner’s diverse community commitment. 

The ceremony ended in the same way that her yoga classes always wrapped up. Hundreds of hands were steepled and hundreds of smiles proclaimed the Sanskrit salute, ‘Namaste.’

“She was a warm and welcoming teacher,” said Carmichael Parks Foundation president Sue Boucher. “She also showed us that small acts of kindness can make a big difference. To this day, I can’t walk in this part of the park without feeling her presence.”

Former Carmichael Recreation and Park District Administrator Mike Blondino likened his first meeting with Ruffner to being introduced to a legend.

“She had a way of making complicated situations seem reasonable,” Blondino said. “Without Sharon, Measure G (the bond measure that rescued Carmichael Recreation and Park District finances through voter-approved funding in 2022) simply would not have been passed. What stands out is how unselfish she was. She supported everything to make this community better. Sharon never thought about her legacy; she worked always for the future.” 

Hundreds of hands signal the spirit of “namaste,” a salutation that ended 30 years of Sharon Ruffner yoga classes.

Sharon Ruffner Plaza, noted the former district administrator, “will be a place where sports people and the community can shine. We lost Sharon too early but her energy will always be with us.”

Ruffner’s husband of 42 years, Bob Ruffner, spoke of the camaraderie that remains with his wife’s former fitness students.

“Her friends are now my friends,” he said. “I recently came across Sharon’s journal. Every day, she noted something she was grateful for. She was grateful for her yoga group; her water aerobics students; she mentioned nearly everyone here today by name.

“Sharon referred to Carmichael Park as her back yard,” Bob Ruffner concluded. “She loved the place and the opportunities it provided. She would be humbled by this sign, and by the beautiful plaza named in her honor.”

Sponsors of the Sharon Ruffner Plaza sign include Carmichael Park District Advisory Board, Carmichael Parks Foundation, Carmichael Recreation and Park District staff, Nancy O Studio, Bob Ruffner and George Lamson.