Beloved community leader remembered

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SIDNEY — Dennis Ruble, the longtime leader of the Sidney-Shelby County YMCA who retired in 2004, has died.

Ruble, 72, passed away Friday, Sept. 29, in the Kettering Medical Center.

He was the president of the local YMCA for 25 years, from 1980 to 2004. During that time, he oversaw three major capital campaigns that expanded the building’s footprint from 30,000 square feet to 82,000 square feet; started the childcare center and established the YMCA’s foundation and its Heritage Club of members who include the Y in their estate plans. He retired a sizeable debt that he inherited when he took the job and ran the organization in the black for 22 of his 25 years. And he doubled the annual operating budget from about $1 million to $2 million.

But he will be remembered most for his connections with people.

“Dennis had a way of working with everybody,” said Mike Lieber, who worked under Ruble in Sidney and is now the executive director of the Robert K. Fox YMCA in Lancaster. “It didn’t matter if you were the richest guy or at the Y on a scholarship, he took time to talk to you.”

And he didn’t just talk. He was well known for sending hand-written notes.

“Dennis has always been a person who puts other people first. Those who knew him well were on the receiving end of thoughtful notes and texts. He put their interests ahead of his own to say something or listen at the right time,” said his friend and professional colleague, Jeff Raible, president of the Sidney-Shelby County Chamber of Commerce.

Lieber really appreciated that.

“You’re expected to do your job. But when someone writes a note and sends it to you, doesn’t just hand it to you, it really means something,” he said.

Leiber wasn’t the only one. Kathy Lindsey, the now-retired executive director of New Choices in Sidney, received a Ruble note when she came back to lead the organization after founding it and then leaving for a time.

“When I returned, he wrote me the nicest note that he was glad I was back. I thought that was so nice. He just reached out to people and did things,” she said.

“Dennis was thoughtful, kind-hearted and always supportive. He was generous with his time and one of the most community-minded people I’ve known,” Raible said.

Although he was passionate about Sidney and Shelby County, Ruble was not a native. He grew up in northeast Ohio, graduated from Youngstown State University, and started his YMCA career while he was still a student. In 1966 he became a director-in-training at the Youngstown YMCA. He spent seven years there and another seven at the Lima YMCA before taking the reins in Sidney in 1980.

“Dennis believed that the Y director was a director in the community,” Lieber said. Ruble was an active member of the Sidney Rotary Club for some 36 years and a Paul Harris Fellow, a board president of the Shelby County Board of Developmental Disabilitie, and a fundraiser on behalf of the United Way, Gateway Arts Council, Alpha Community Center, American Red Cross, Compassionate Care and the Shelby County Historical Society.

He led the capital campaign two years ago for New Choices.

“He said he’d be happy to do it, and we were off and running,” Lindsey said. “We raised a little over $200,000 for renovation of the shelther. He had so many great contacts in the community to reach out to because of all the wonderful things he’d done. He was always involved to help improve Shelby County, and people appreciate that.”

The New Choices campaign was successful largely because of Ruble, she added.

“People knew he wouldn’t be involved in something that wasn’t a good cause because of his track record in Shelby County of being supportive of people and caring about people,” Lindsey said. She, too, mentioned his many community projects.

“When Dennis was at the Y, he didn’t just sit at the Y. Dennis was a strong believer in collaboration,” she said.

Even children recognized his selflessness.

“We started a program with Central (Elementary) School third-graders,” Lieber remembered. “They came to the Y once a month for swimming and other things. (Ruble) wasn’t there every week when they came, but when they (finished the program) they wanted to push Mr. Ruble into the pool to celebrate. He put his swimming trunks on, and they pushed him in the pool. He was willing to go along with their celebration.”

One of Ruble’s greatest strengths, said current Sidney-Shelby County YMCA CEO Ed Thomas, was his ability to guide and develop people.

“Under Dennis’s leadership, several (Sidney) staff members went on to become directors of other YMCAs,” he said. In addition to Lieber, there are Ed Bohren, now at the Licking County YMCA, Paul Waldsmith of the Champaign County YMCA, the late Tom Grueser, Ed Melling, who led the YMCA in Bellefontaine for several years, and Sam Casalano, executive director of the Darke County YMCA.

Lieber noted that there may not be another YMCA in the country responsible for developing so many next-generation Y leaders.

“My wife and I had lunch with (Dennis and his wife, Donna) a couple weeks ago, and we brought him (to the Y I now run),” Lieber said. “We all were like that. We wanted to show Dennis what he helped us do.” And Lieber tries to emulate his mentor.

“In our nonprofit world, you can get stuck in the numbers. Everybody wants to generate a positive cash flow. But Dennis took time with people and that included the staff. I try to do that because Dennis did that,” he said.

After Ruble retired from the Sidney Y, he coached young executives for the national organization.

“He’s always been willing to give guidance. He liked to see people succeed,” Lindsey said. “He and Donna, they just care.”

Ruble returned to the Sidney Y as part-time financial development director from 2010 to 2012. In all, he had a 39-year YMCA career. From 2005 to 2008, he was a guest planning director for what is now Ohio Living, the parent organization of Ohio Living Dorothy Love.

But it was never all work for this community leader. He was a great storyteller, Lieber said, and he was passionate about playing golf.

“In our younger years, it was racquetball. He always beat me,” Raible said. “Dennis and I first met in 1984. I was new to the area and joined the Y to play racquetball. Dennis was a fierce competitor on the court and schooled me in the game time after time when we played.” But the two also enjoyed many golf trips together to Cincinnati, Columbus and Florida.

“Our spouses would go antiquing or shopping, and the guys would go golfing. The golf trips were the most fun things we did together,” Raible said. “I would count Dennis among my closest good friends. I’ll never forget him. His friendship has impacted my life tremendously.”

“He’s certainly going to be missed,” Lindsey said.

Raible knows exactly how much: “Although (he was) neither born or raised here, I suspect Dennis Ruble to be one of the most loved and admired men in Shelby County.”

Ruble is survived by his wife of 48 years, Donnajean, and their son and daughter, Daniel and Dana. Funeral arrangements are pending at Cromes-Edwards Funeral Home in Sidney.

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By Patricia Ann Speelman

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Dennis Ruble, past YMCA director, dead at 72

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