Rocco Antonio Ruffini passed away on July 27, 2026, at Decatur Memorial Hospital. Rocco was born May 19, 1958, to Delfino and Caroline (Bomball) Ruffini. He married Cheryl Dawes on October 12, 2014.

Rocco was hired by Caterpillar after graduating from Stephen Decatur High School in 1976 and worked as a welder until his retirement in February 2016. He ascended the ladder of success in June 2009 when he moved from an LG3 to an LG4 making him one of the best of the best in welding. He was truly committed to his work; if anybody at CAT knew a difficult job could be done, they would call upon Rocco.

He loved being in the mountains in Tennessee. He was keen into yard work and loved to go fishing. His 4th of July parties and putting on fireworks were epic and he loved hosting them.

Rocco leaves behind his wife Cheryl, stepdaughter Bethany (Derek) Gotts, sisters Jill (Ric) Hughes and Julie (Kent) Peterson, niece Lauren (Dillon) Ziegler and nephew Luke (Trisha) Peterson, grandchildren Callum and Kinley Gotts, great niece Zoey Ziegler and great nephews Luca Ziegler and Braxton Peterson, and a spoiled dog named Sammi.

Rocco loved to tease his family and his friends, that’s how he showed them how much he cared about them. He worked hard, he played hard, and he will be missed by many.

Any donations can be made to his lifelong church–St. John’s Lutheran Church, 2727 North Union Street, Decatur, Illinois 62526.

A memorial service & celebration of life will be held at a later date.