Ruth III, John Homer

John Homer Ruth III, 39, died at his home in San Francisco on Feb. 25, 2010.

Born Nov. 25, 1970, in Bangkok, Thailand, John was a high-energy outdoor enthusiast and adventurer who lived by the motto “Audaces fortuna iuvat” (“Fortune favors the bold”). He learned to ski in the Austrian Alps and to swim in England. As a small boy John sailed the Baltic Sea with his family. He played soccer in Germany, rode the waves in the Caribbean and learned to fly as a teenager when the family lived in Des Moines. His lifelong passion for cars and racing began in boyhood and developed into a love of all things fast and furious.

After receiving a law degree from the University of Iowa in 1996, John pointed his convertible west toward California. He worked as a corporate trader with Jefferies & Company, Inc., and later in his own ventures. It was in San Francisco that he developed his passion for kart racing and extreme mountain biking, and he pursued these activities around the world, traveling with close friends to Switzerland, Japan, Hawaii and elsewhere. He cherished beauty in nature and design and held a particular appreciation and reverence for Japanese culture, tradition, ritual and music.

 His many friends and his family remember him as the kindest of souls, a thoughtful, generous man who loved without judgment and whose loyalty and compassion were constants. His family and friends will forever feel his loss.

John is survived by his father, John Homer Ruth Jr., of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and his wife, Judy Ruth; his mother, Martha Lee Rhodes of New Bern, N.C.; his sisters, Melissa Ruth of New York City and Amy Ruth Allen of Lynchburg, Va.; his brothers-in-law, Jorge Rodriguez and Leigh Allen; his beloved girlfriend, Colleen Carnathan of Redwood City, Calif.; and many others who loved and admired him.

A private celebration of John's life will be held in Marin County, Calif., on Saturday, March 6.

Gifts in his memory may be made to the Wounded Warrior Project and the Marine Toys for Tots Foundation, charities he supported.

Friends who wish to write the family may address mail to John H. Ruth Jr., 130 Thompson Dr. SE, No. 124, Cedar Rapids, IA 52403.