Deacon Jesse J. Ruffin, Jr.

Jesse James Ruffin, Jr. was born on September 4, 1953 in Cleveland, Ohio to the late Deacon Jesse James Ruffin, Sr. and to the late Gladys Mae Asberry Ruffin. He was the eldest of five children followed by Reynold, Gladys, Julia, and Jonathan. Throughout his childhood, Jesse took care of his siblings while his parents worked, helping to instill within them beliefs and morals that his parents instilled within him. Jesse accepted Christ at the age of twelve and was baptized under the leadership of Pastor C.T. Nelson of the Greater Friendship Baptist Church in Cleveland, Ohio, where he later served as an usher.

Jesse attended John Hay High School in Cleveland, Ohio. He was hired by the City of Cleveland Water Treatment Plant in 1973, where he successfully completed his water treatment purification operator's licenses in Class One and Class Three for the State of Ohio during his employment until 1979. He worked with the Fairport Harbor Water Treatment Plant from 1980 to 1982. He then transferred to the Painesville Water Treatment Plant from 1982 to 1986. Jesse studied coursework in real estate at the Cuyahoga Community College in Cleveland, Ohio, at John Carroll University in University Heights, Ohio, and at Hondros College in Independence, Ohio while working simultaneously as a full-time water treatment purification operator. He obtained the State of Ohio Real Estate Sales license in 1980, continued to work at the Painesville Water Treatment Plant, and worked part-time as a real estate agent at McMullan Realty in Cleveland, Ohio. Jesse received his Real Estate Brokers License from the State of Ohio Realtors Board in 1987. From this achievement, Jesse was commissioned as a notary public in 1987 and began his career in real estate to establish Ruffin Real Estate Company, Incorporation, located in Maple Heights, Ohio in 1987 and worked until October 12, 2025. However, his legacy will always live on through his children that carry his mantle! He also established Jeca Management and Investment, LLC in 1990, co-founded Asberry-Ruffin-Turner (ART) Family Reunion in 1993, which later became Turner Families United, Incorporation in 1994, and finally the Carolyn's Law, Incorporation in 2018. Jesse was a member of the Akron/Cleveland Board of Realtors, Cleveland Realtist Association, Ohio Association of Realtors, Ohio Association of Realtist, National Association of Realtors, National Association of Real Estate Brokers (NAREB), and received an award in 1993 for his outstanding service as the C.A.R.E.B. Finance Committee Chairperson and an honorary award from NAREB.

Jesse met his soulmate Carolyn Laverne Allen in 1974 in Oakwood Village, Ohio, and they were married on February 1, 1977 in Cleveland, Ohio. From their marital union, they had three children; Carmen Monique, Tosha Marie, and Jesse James, III, whom he enjoyed raising. Jesse and his family continued to fellowship at the Greater Friendship Baptist Church until they joined East Mount Zion Baptist Church in Cleveland, Ohio in 1981. Jesse had a strong faith in Christ and served many roles in his church as a member of the Male Chorus and Brotherhood, and was ordained as a Deacon on October 22, 1995 under the leadership of Reverend Dr. A. Charles Bowie (deceased) and current leadership of Reverend Dr. Brian A. Cash. He was also appointed Chairman of Deacons from 2009 through 2014 and continued as an active member of East Mount Zion Baptist Church until his death.

Jesse enjoyed taking road trips with his family to different states over the years to visit relatives and spend quality time together. Jesse and Carolyn continued to work together in the family business at Ruffin Real Estate Company until 2014. His beloved wife of forty-one years transitioned on May 5, 2018. Following Carolyn's death, based on several injuries sustained from staffing shortages in various healthcare facilities, Jesse honored his wife's trials and tribulations by establishing an Initiative Petition Amendment to the Ohio Constitution called the Nursing Facility Patients' Bill of Rights, also known as Carolyn's Law. Jesse spent years organizing petition drives to gather signatures from registered Ohio voters in all eighty-eight counties to get Carolyn's Law on the ballot board, receiving over 60,000 signatures to date. Carolyn's Law was certified by the Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost on June 30, 2021 and was approved by the Ohio Board of Elections on July 14, 2021.

Jesse's longtime family friend of thirty years, Grace Rice, who helped advocate for Carolyn's Law, later became a genuine companion and significant other to him throughout his final years of life. Jesse enjoyed playing chess, watching boxing marathons, preparing banquets for family and friends, and loved spending time with his grandchildren. He had special handshakes for the grandsons, special hugs for the granddaughters, and called all his grandchildren his "little pooh-poohs".

Deacon Jesse James Ruffin, Jr. transitioned peacefully on January 9, 2026 at his home surrounded by his children, siblings, and close family members. Jesse was preceded in death by his grandparents Jimmy and Minnie Ruffin and Peter and Penny Asberry; parents Deacon Jesse James, Sr. and Gladys Mae Ruffin; his wife Carolyn L. Ruffin; his sister Gladys Erkard; his father-in-law Leroy Allen, Sr.; his mother-in-law Carolyn T. Allen; his brothers-in-law Leroy Allen, Jr. and Wayne Prowell; his sisters-in-law Diane Michelle Ruffin and Laura Ruffin; and a multitude of aunts, uncles, and cousins.

He leaves to cherish his memory with his significant other Grace Rice (Michael, deceased); his brother Reynold Ruffin (Diane (Shaw) Ruffin); his sister Dr. Julia Ruffin, his brother Jonathan Ruffin (Laura, deceased); his brothers-in-law Dr. James Thomas Erkard, Jr. (Gladys, deceased, former spouse) and Marlon Allen; his sisters-in-law Tanya Prowell (Wayne, deceased) and Patricia Allen (Leroy Jr., deceased); his daughters Carmen M. Ruffin-Stiner (Marcus) and Tosha M. Anderson (Dwayne); his son Jesse James Ruffin, III (Carole); his ten grandchildren: Jaia Naveh Ruffin, Tristen Taron Ruffin-Williams, Sean Michael Ruffin, Naomi Zyana Ruffin, Uriah Joshua Ruffin, Sheik Anderson, Selah Faith Ruffin, Hannah Grace Ruffin, Sophia Gabriella Ruffin, and Josiah David Ruffin; his nephews James T. Erkard III, Gabriel Jordan Erkard, LeRoyal Allen, Pierce Allen, and Robert Prowell (India); his nieces Nicole Bowman Mack (Rodney), Christina Michelle Ruffin, Mariah Gladys Ruffin, Natricia Allen, and Chanel Marie White (née Prowell, Allen White); and with a host of nieces, nephews, great-nieces, great-nephews, aunts, uncles, cousins, extended family, church family, and friends.