PERRYSBURG – After 15 years of providing soft serve ice cream and other foods to visitors in downtown Perrysburg, the owners of O-Deer Diner have twisted their last ice cream concoction.
Following years in the business field with a number of endeavors, Rick Ruffner and his wife Dana decided to slow down their pace, entering semi-retirement.
To do so meant parting with some of their enterprises, the ice cream shop being the sweetest of all.
The Ruffners grew up in Perrysburg and graduated from the high school – Rick in 1981 and Dana in 1984.
They raised their daughters in the Eastwood district, but have always been loyal to the town in which they were raised.
Their entrepreneurial spirit led the couple to purchase buildings downtown after Rick left his work at a refinery.
They sold several of the rental properties, but still maintain one building, opting to gradually enter retirement.
Opening the diner in 2010 represented the couple’s venture into retail sales.
“He always wanted an ice cream store,” Dana recalled, adding Rick believed the location at 416 Louisiana Ave. would be ideal.
“I always thought it would be a great addition to the community,” Rick added.
His belief in the diner was spot on as patrons can be seen on any given day enjoying his frozen creations on the shaded patio.
To build the business even more, Ruffner established Friday car shows, which have been growing steadily for more than a dozen years.
The couple believe strongly in giving back to the community, using the 50/50 raffle at the car show to raise funds for the Perrysburg High School After Prom.
“Over the years we have raised more than $30,000,” Dana said, and Rick added that the car show will continue through this summer. He hopes the new owners of the diner will carry on the tradition in the future.
The couple also provides free ice cream cones to veterans on Mondays and for a number of years have given coupons for a free small ice cream cone to youth participating in the Way Library summer reading program, baseball camp and fishing derby.
But they did not stop there. For a number of years the Ruffners organized the annual Christmas and Memorial Day parades.
With the Christmas parade, Rick said they focused on recreating fond memories from their youth.
“We wanted to make the parade like we remembered it being as kids,” he said.
The Memorial Day parade came about when the American Legion, whose members were aging, needed assistance.
Stepping away from the parades, particularly the Christmas one for the first time last year, may have been the most difficult. “I truly loved seeing the kids on Sunday. It was just amazing.”
The two were quick to point out the event would not have been possible without the support of the Taylor Automotive, the business community and Kingston residents who graciously took on the task of responding to all the children’s letters to Santa.
As for their employees at the diner, the couple could not be more complimentary. Their daughters worked there over the years alongside teens from Anthony Wayne, Perrysburg and Rossford schools.
The employees became family to the couple and each other with many returning annually through their high school and college years.
As word spread, more and more students applied for work at the diner, including siblings of past employees.
“Siblings tell each other to work here, and parents have expressed appreciation to us for the opportunity,” Rick said.
The family atmosphere did create one problem for the couple when one of the employees married and five others were in the wedding, leaving them scrambling to fill shifts that day, they recalled.
But overall, it has been a great experience, he said. “We’ve had such success with the kids. Of the 15 working this year, 13 are returnees.”
Ruffner said the business is the only thing being sold. They do not own the building.
Whoever buys the diner will see a smooth transfer, Rick said, and if they do not have a background in running an ice cream shop, he will offer his services.
The couple acknowledged they will miss the many people who came to the diner on a regular basis.
“All these people are my friends,” he said.
He looks forward to catching up on work around the house, something which has proven challenging since the diner is open seven days per week from spring to fall.
Ruffner also will continue to farm his 50 acres, maintain one rental and offer their Florida condo for rental when not being used by the family.
“I also want to start hitting all the National Parks,” he said.