RICHMOND, Va. (WWBT) – Former Virginia Senator Frank Ruff passed away Saturday after decades of service in the commonwealth.

Ruff served on the Mecklenburg Board of Supervisors before being elected to the Virginia House of Delegates in 1993.

Years later, he represented areas of southern Virginia as a senator for more than two decades.

For health reasons, Ruff retired at the end of 2023.

Governor Glenn Youngkin issued a statement:

“Virginia has lost a legend of public service whose legacy will be felt throughout the Commonwealth not for years but for generations to come. Senator Frank Ruff always believed that his public service was about finding good policy solutions to improve the lives of Virginians in rural communities.

“Frank’s decades of service to the people of Virginia – in the General Assembly since 1993, before that on the Mecklenburg Board of Supervisors, and finally as a citizen member and chairman of the Tobacco Regional Revitalization Commission – are matched by few but have inspired many.

“This year I had the great honor of signing a unanimously approved bill to rename the Rural Center he founded in his honor.

“Suzanne and I ask all Virginians to join us in keeping his wife Jessie, their children, grandchildren, and all of his family and friends in our sincerest prayers.”

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