Keoni Ruiz

Obituary of Keoni RuizKEONI K. RUIZ JUNE 16, 1971 - APRIL 21, 2012 Keoni was born and raised in Brooklyn, NY. He eventually moved to Staten Island, NY and then recently to Ocala, FL. As a former member of the U.S. Army, he served in "Desert Storm" but unfortunately did not accumulate enough war time to be eligible for health benefits or life insurance. During his childhood years, he took karate lessons, which he continued through his adult years. He participated in many competitions, won countless awards and eventually earned a second degree black belt in karate. Besides martial arts, Keoni also fought in amateur MMA fights. He loved to fight and was known as "KEONI PITBULL RUIZ." Unfortunately, he only had a chance at a few bouts before he was injured in Mexico and was unable to fight again. Alternatively, he taught kickboxing. Because he incorporated so many different routines, everyone loved his classes and always seemed to come back to him. Above everything else, Keoni was a personal trainer. This was his passion. He loved to train people the proper way. He was especially proud of his clients when they would meet their goal. Nothing made him happier than to help his clients see results and to know that he was the one who helped them. Keoni was a wonderful man and was blessed to have many friends and family members who loved him very much. He had the most amazing smile. It always made me feel better whenever I was sad. Plus, he always knew the right thing to say to make me feel like everything would be ok. Above and beyond, he was always there for everyone whether it was to talk, listen, offer advice, or as a shoulder to cry on. There are so many great things I can say about Keoni and it still would not do justice to him. If you were lucky enough to know him, you would have been a witness to a person who was amazing in every way possible. He spent a lot of time taking care of me, his wife, Jill. Though, I am disabled and have many health problems, he tended to my every need without a single complaint of any kind. I know he enjoyed caring for me because that's the kind of person he was. Even though we were only married for 5 and 1/2 years, Keoni came into my life and showed me what true love really was. We were both able to experience a life in which every day was filled with love and bliss. Love is a wonderful thing and to find such unconditional and real love is amazing. We were both very lucky to find the person who we were meant to be with. We were each other's soul mate. Though only for a short time, our love was just perfect, and brought so much happiness and joy to my life. I will love you forever Keoni. Still, Keoni did have one regret. He would have liked a better father and son relationship with his son, Christian. They were not on the best terms. He was trying to make things right, to fix all the damage that had been done, mostly on Keoni's part as a father. He thought that he would have had the time to work out all the difficulties and misunderstandings later once Christian was older but, unfortunately that never came to be. Christian, your dad loved you so much. He would cry at night because he blamed himself for how your relationship with him had ended up. Please do not blame yourself. He would not want you to feel any guilt or sorrow. Keoni loved you very much and was so proud of you, Christian. Keoni K. Ruiz is survived by his wife, Jill Ruiz; his son, Christian Ruiz; his father, Noel Ruiz; his mother, Heather Scarda; and his step-father, Bernard Scarda..

Keoni Ruiz

December 31, 1969 - April 21, 2012