Jerry Ruess was born in St. Louis, Missouri, on June 19, 1949. His father worked for RC Cola and drove a truck. His mom worked in real estate and also as an interior decorator. The big baseball fan in the family was his grandfather on his mom’s side, Alfred Hellwig. He would ride a streetcar to Sportsman’s Park to watch the Cardinals and the Browns almost every day.
Jerry was the middle child of three boys. Both of his parents are deceased. His brother, Jim, is retired from a career in the Houston Parks system. He now works part-time managing the city’s municipal golf courses.