John Paul Ruffing AIA Emeritus, a native of the Marywood community south of Bellevue and a longtime resident of the Boston, Mass., area, died March 31, 2017.

He was currently a citizen of Lexington, Mass., and had lived in the Boston area since the late 1950s.

John attended Brunnerdale Minor Seminary in Canton, Ohio, and St. Joseph College in Collegeville, Ind., while discerning a vocation to the priesthood. With the advice of his spiritual director he determined his vocation was not to the priesthood and his long and happy marriage showed that this was true. In addition, he attended Notre Dame University and University of Cincinnati for a short time before earning a bachelor’s degree in architecture from Western Reserve University in Cleveland and a master’s degree in architecture from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. As the top student in his graduating class, John was awarded an extensive trip to Europe to study firsthand the history of western architecture. John and Eileen traveled for many weeks in Europe while expecting their second child.

He was a partner in the well-known Boston architectural firm of Payette with extensive work in the health care sector including University Hospital in Cleveland, Berlin, NH, Aga Khan University Hospital in Karachi, Pakistan, and other hospitals and educational buildings. Funeral services and interment will be private.