Late North Huntingdon truck racer 'would give you the shirt off his back'
Oct. 11—On Fridays or Saturdays, Ronnie Ruggiero would tow his 1977 Ford F-150 with him to work, at Bob Tyke's Auto Service in Monroeville, and as soon as the day was done, he'd head off to race it.
The F-150 wasn't just any truck — it belonged to Ruggiero's father, who died when Ruggiero was only 8.
"His dad used it in his cement business, and, after he died, his mother sold it," said Ruggiero's fiancée, Carly Oakes of North Huntingdon. "Eventually, he was able to get the truck back, and he restored it and turned it into a racing truck."
Ruggiero, 37, died behind the wheel during a race Saturday at Keystone Raceway Park in Derry Township.
"He was a great guy who'd give you the shirt off his back," Oakes said. "If we got a call at 3 a.m. that a friend was drunk and needed a ride home, Ronnie would go and get them. He'd do anything for anybody."
Ruggiero's love of racing started at a young age, when he would ride BMX bicycles at any track that would have him. After finding and restoring his father's truck, the North Huntingdon man was a regular competitor at Keystone.
"He was an excellent worker," said Bob Tyke, owner of Tyke's Auto Service, where Ruggiero worked as a mechanic for the past three years. "There's five of us here — myself, my brother and our techs — and we're really just family. He fit right in as soon as we hired him."
Ruggiero grew up in Wilkins Township, the son of Theresa (Giaramita) Ruggiero and the late Antonio Ruggiero.
He and Oakes met as mutual members of the Phantom Force car club. They were together 18 years and had two children, Gianna and Rocco.
Oakes said Ruggiero's truck is being kept at the racetrack for now.
"I talked to the owner, and he didn't want the state police to take it because it would've just been left sitting outside in the elements," Oakes said. "They're keeping it on a flatbed in a garage, and once the investigation is over, the police will release the truck back to me."
Oakes said that not only will the truck be driveable in the future, but she has an idea who might be behind the wheel.
"We have a 5-year-old son who's very adamant about getting in it someday," Oakes said.
A blessing service for Ruggiero will be at 10 a.m. Thursday at the Patrick T. Lanigan Funeral Home, 1111 Monroeville Ave., Turtle Creek. Memorial donations can be made directly to the family or to Ronnie Ruggiero's Memorial Fund at GoFundMe.com.
Patrick Varine is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Patrick by email at pvarine@triblive.com or via Twitter .
