Mr. Thomas Edward Ruggeri's Obituary
Thomas Edward Ruggeri, 77, passed away peacefully on January 6, 2021.Tom was born in Guttenberg, New Jersey in 1943. As a teenager he was in a doo-wop band called the Princetones who famously wrote the hit single, Guardian Angel. He moved to Dallas as a young man & established himself in the restaurant business working at the incomparable restaurant Mario's owned by his cousin and then opened his own restaurant, Ruggeri’s Italian Restaurant soon thereafter.
For more than 40 years, Ruggeri’s was a mainstay for countless loyal customers, all of whom he considered friends. Tom was the face of Ruggeri's, greeting customers by name and taking pride in creating a memorable dining experience filled with delicious fine Italian dining and entertainment. Tom was a charismatic talented singer who loved to sing to his guests. He particularly loved to sing Elvis and Sinatra tunes and did so every Wednesday night at his restaurant. Tom lived life to the fullest and he did it his way; classic old school.
Tom touched the lives of so many and will be truly missed. He was preceded in death by his parents Peter and Charlotte and former spouse Elaine. He is survived by his brother, Bob and wife Bari, sister Marilyn and husband Billy, former spouse and mother of his twin daughters Belinda, longtime girlfriend Mindy Branscum, daughter Melissa and son-in-law John, daughter Elizabeth and son-in-law Mark, daughter Angela, daughter Miranda and son-in-law Bob, mother-in-law Joan, niece Olivia, and seven grandchildren he proudly adored: Jacob, Marcus, Caitlyn, Luke, Cash, Nicholas, & Jack.
A public visitation will be held on January 13th from 2-5 pm. A private Funeral Service is planned.
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