Jesse Ruiz

May 21, 1952 - October 17, 2019 Resident of Santa Clara County

Surrounded by his family, Jesse Ruiz passed away at the age of 67.

Jesse will be remembered as a vibrant and loving husband, father, son, and friend. Never one to sit still, you could find Jesse tailgating before a local Bay Area sports game, snowboarding down the black diamonds at Northstar, or golfing with his decades-old foursome at Stanford and with Lucy at Lahontan. Jesse’s love for cooking and wine made for great parties, and he cherished any opportunity to bring together large groups of family and friends.

Jesse was a talented and accomplished trial attorney. He spent the first 40 years of his career as a partner at Robinson & Wood, Inc., and the last two years as a partner at Messner Reeves LLP. Jesse’s professional legacy includes 8 published decisions, fellowship in the American College of Trial Lawyers and American Board of Trial Advocates, President of the Association of Defense Counsel of Northern California and Nevada in 2000, and a vast network of colleagues, clients, and friends.

Jesse was born in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada, proudly raised in Hollister, CA, and received his undergraduate education from the University of California at Berkeley (A.B., 1974) and his legal education at Stanford Law School (J.D., 1977).

Jesse is survived by his wife, Lucy, his children, Rachel, David, and Sarah, his grandchildren, Sofia and Julian, his mother, Gloria, his brother, Philip, and so many other family and friends. A memorial service will be held on Tuesday, October 29th at 10:30 AM at Oak Hill Cemetery & Memorial Park.