Timothy F. Ruane, Jr. was born on July 9, 1917 in Pittsburgh, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. He was the son of Timothy F. Ruane and Catherine M. Keenan Ruane. Timothy, Jr. served in the 379th Fighter Squadron, 362nd Fighter Group as a Captain during World War II.

On April 26, 1945, eleven other missions were flown during the day, many against the town of Neustadt, Germany. During one of these missions, after bombing the town, Blue and Green Flights of the 379th were looking for tanks on the roads out of town. "Captain [Timothy] Ruane made a very steep dive from 2,500 feet to check a small automobile," said Lt. Raymond Morris, the Green Flight leader. "He hit a tree and pulled up, rolling to the left as he did so, and then crashed into the ground. He hit on his right wing and back. The airplane exploded and left three small fires." Ruane was killed in the crash.

CPT Ruane is now buried in the Lorraine American Cemetery, Saint-Avold, France.

Source of information: www.findagrave.com, www.abmc.gov, Thunderbolts Triumphant, The 362nd Fighter Group vs Germany's Wehrmacht