Keith Bradley Ruark

RALEIGH – Keith Bradley Ruark, 53, passed away unexpectedly at his home on Monday, October 23, 2023.

He was born in Kettering, OH on January 8, 1970, the son of Brian and Donna Neubauer Ruark. Keith had a joyful childhood in Carmel, IN, highlighted by summer visits to Palisades, MI where his grandparents owned an old-fashioned soda parlor on the shores of Lake Michigan. Along with his 2 brothers and 9 cousins, they were a handful.

Keith followed in his parents’ footsteps, graduating from Purdue University. After a stint at Proctor and Gamble in Cincinnati, he went on to Yale School of Management, where he met his wife, Kristin, and together earned their MBAs.

He then moved to New York City, where he put his new MBA to work at The Wilkerson Group. However, when time for a family came, Keith and Kris moved to Raleigh, NC where Brynne and Grayson were born. Keith worked at Quintiles Transnational, then founded AVOS Life Sciences. At the time of his passing, he was a Senior Vice President at Syneos Health in Raleigh.

While a successful businessman, Keith was also a kind and gentle husband, father, son, and friend. He was patient and considerate, but still knew how to lighten up a room with a joke. He enjoyed traveling to new places around the world, cooking meals at home on the grill, and watching sports every weekend with his kids. He put his loved ones above everything else and was the rock of his family, always being the support everyone depended on.

Keith was preceded in death by his mother, Donna Ruark; maternal grandparents, Ernst and Laura Neubauer; and paternal grandparents, Eugene and Marcella Ruark.

He is survived by his loving family which includes his wife of 24 years, Kristin Ruark; daughter, Brynne Ruark of Raleigh; son, Grayson Ruark of Raleigh; father, Brian Ruark and wife, Jody of Indianapolis, IN; brothers, Daniel Ruark and wife, Becky of Centerville, IN, Craig Ruark of Cleveland, OH; father-in-law & mother-in-law, Raymond and Patricia Greenwald of Sykesville, MD; brother-in-law, Erik Greenwald and wife, Heather; sister-in-law, Jennifer Regan; his canine companion, Percy, and feline companions, Grace & Peace; and a host of extended family and friends.

A memorial service will be held at 1:30 PM on Sunday, October 29, 2023, at Soapstone United Methodist Church, 12837 Norwood Road, Raleigh, NC 27613, with a reception to follow in the fellowship hall.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made in Keith’s memory to the American Cancer Society or Sandy Hook Promise.

Funeral arrangements are by Bryan-Lee Funeral Home of Raleigh. Online condolences may be made at www.bryan-leefuneralhome.com.