Noel Tom Rufo was born in the village of Croton-On-Hudson in New York on November 13, 1932. He grew up in a large family and worked in small family-owned grocery stores in Georgia. Growing up in difficult circumstances together with his family, he developed a strong bond and love for them. Noel had dyslexia, which was not well understood at that time. This affected his academics when he was young and, indeed, I believe, his self-esteem as well. He eventually joined the US Army as a combat engineer when he was 17 in 1949 and was stationed in post-WWII West Germany until 1953. He would regale his children with stories of close calls of his demise, usually of his own making. One story that his children remember well was when he was swimming between a large docked boat and a pier. The boat started drifting towards the pier, and he barely got out of the water before the boat came into contact with the pier. Usually, the stories would be more mundane, guarding ammo depots throughout the cold night in a cemetery or visiting Paris on leave. During this period, he deeply missed his family, particularly his mother, and realized how much he loved them. Upon arriving back, he picked up odd jobs working at a cotton farm and for only one day as a mailman. Unfortunately, the mailman job was only one day because it was rainy and stormy that day, and he slipped and fell, losing the mail, which eventually went down a storm drain. After working these jobs, he felt that he needed to go to college and have a profession in order to have a stable job. He finished his GED, then went to a community college and eventually pharmacy school. It was a very long and arduous journey because of his dyslexia. He spent many more hours than his peers just to keep up with his studies. He would always say that he graduated “by the skin of his teeth.” As a result of the various struggles encountered in life, he was always encouraging of others in their endeavors. He was always mindful of the difficulties he faced growing up, whether it was in academics or otherwise, and had the empathy to treat others with compassion and encouragement.
After meeting the love of his life at a social gathering in Northern California, he subsequently got married and eventually settled down in San Diego. He had two children who miss him dearly every day. He would take his children fishing in San Diego and elsewhere. Fishing was a lifelong hobby of his from his childhood. It could be freshwater or saltwater fishing, raining or sunny, but he would take time to fish. His children accompanied him during various fishing trips, not necessarily because they loved to fish as well, but because they wanted to spend precious time with their father. In his relatively younger days, he would spend his spare time working with wood, making tables and benches. This is something he picked up from his father. He loved to read books on various topics and even insisted on reading books while he was undergoing hospice care. His children always remembered his generosity and kindness to others, and he would remind them to have empathy for others.
It provides great comfort to his children that their parents will be on the Destiny Flight to the Moon together. The knowledge that a small portion of each of them will be on a celestial body that constantly orbits the Earth provides solace to their children’s souls. Our love for both of you is eternal, and we cannot wait until we meet again in the next world.
