Of Florida formerly of Chelsea
Colonel (Ret.) Daniel F Ruskiewicz, 88 of Tampa, Florida passed away on April 29, 2026. He was born in Chelsea to Viola and Allen Sheppard on March 13, 1938. Dan served his country in the United States Air Force as navigator of a C-130 cargo plane during the Vietnam War, continuing his career in Ramstein, Germany and retired from Central Command in Tampa, Florida after 25 years of service. He followed his military service with a career in property management solely with Greenacre Properties Inc. where he spent the next 27 years.
Dan met Sharon in Dover, Delaware and they were married on October 8, 1967. Both Dan and Sharon devoted the early years of their marriage to rearing three children and living abroad, returning to the United States in 1980. Dan is preceded in death by his wife, Sharon Ruskiewicz; his mother and father Viola and Allen Sheppard; daughter, Kristen Ruskiewicz-Walters and son-in-law, Frank Walters Jr. Dan is survived by daughter, Robin Johnson and her husband, Leigh (Skip), and son, Jon Daniel Ruskiewicz and his wife, Jennifer and his sister, Valerie Sheppard. Dan has seven grandchildren: Olivia, Fender, Parker, Austin, Brendan, Ashlynn and Landon that were the light of his life.
Relatives and friends are kindly invited to attend Daniel’s visiting hours at the Carafa Family Funeral Home, 389 Washington Ave., Chelsea on Friday, August 7 from 10 to 11:30 a.m. A Funeral Service will follow the visitation in the Funeral Home at 11:30 a.m. Services will conclude with interment at Woodlawn Cemetery in Everett. We encourage family and friends to visit carafafuneralhome.com to offer condolences by means of the online guest book or to send a personalized sympathy card.