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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#1F497D">Joe was one of the kindest, friendliest, funniest, and most positive people I have known. I Was not as close to him as some, but whenever we spoke, he made me
feel loved and important, as I’m sure he did with others. I pray for his family, and I am so sad to hear that agent Orange has taken another veteran, as it did my own father. We will all miss Joe, but we can all be grateful to have known him.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">From:</span></b><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"> Chapter-Presidents <chapter-presidents-bounces@nfbnet.org>
<b>On Behalf Of </b>Linda Melendez via Chapter-Presidents<br>
<b>Sent:</b> Tuesday, May 3, 2022 9:13 AM<br>
<b>To:</b> NFB of New Jersey Internet Mailing List <nfbnj@nfbnet.org><br>
<b>Cc:</b> State President, New Jersey <president@nfbnj.org>; State Affiliate Leadership List <state-affiliate-leadership-list@nfbnet.org>; NFB Chapter Presidents discussion list <chapter-presidents@nfbnet.org><br>
<b>Subject:</b> [Chapter-Presidents] The news we have been anticipating<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12.0pt"><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Tahoma",sans-serif">Joe Ruffalo, who served us as president for 27 years, died quietly<br>
early this morning following a multi-year battle with Metastatic<br>
Bladder cancer related to Agent Orange exposure during the Vietnam<br>
War. Joe had been in hospice care and passed away in the Bloomfield<br>
house where he grew up. Family members and friends were there to<br>
comfort him.</span><o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Tahoma",sans-serif">Joe had shared his journey with us and we send our condolences to<br>
Joe's wife, Judy, and their sons Jim and Joey and their wives as well<br>
as sister Jane Degenshein, also a leader in our National Federation<br>
of the Blind community and her husband Larry as well as other<br>
relatives and friends.<br>
<br>
Funeral arrangements are being finalized and I will share them when<br>
complete. In the meantime, those who wish to honor Joe's memory may donate to the NFBNJ, the organization he said changed his life and<br>
which he shared fso generously with us for so many years.</span><o:p></o:p></p>
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