LAKELAND, Fla. — A former mayor, business man and civic leader is being laid to rest Saturday. 

• Former Lakeland mayor, businessman Joe Ruthven died last month
• Ruthven's funeral Saturday at 11 a.m. 
• Ruthven started business in Lakeland in the 1960s, served on city commission and as mayor in late 60s

Joe Ruthven died on December 21. He was 92 years old. 

His memorial service is being held at First Presbyterian Church in Lakeland Saturday at 11 a.m.

Ruthven owned a family owned real estate company which is known for warehouses. The Ruthvens own about 90 buildings in Lakeland and have about 300 tenants, according to Greg Ruthven, President of the company. 

Joe Ruthven started the company back in the sixties. 

"His legacy is probably he did bring warehouse space to Lakeland. Remember we built buildings without tenants. It was 100 percent spec,” said Greg Ruthven.

Joe Ruthven was born to sharecroppers in South Carolina. He moved to Lakeland with his wife and children in 1957 to open a tire shop. 

"[He had] $5,000 and a pickup truck,” Greg Ruthven recalled.

When one of his customers wanted him to store the tires, and Joe Ruthven couldn’t find a warehouse, that sparked the idea to build them. 

"You got to remember back in the sixties when he was building warehouses, he would put up everything he had to buy a building,” Greg Ruthven said. "He was a southern gentleman. He liked people to succeed. He taught me how to win win, not win lose in a relationship. Win win. He always wanted the tenants to win,” Greg Ruthven said. 

Greg said his father was still working when he was 90 years old.  

"He and Judy would drive [to all of] the [properties]. 27 miles from his house. And he'd come in Monday morning with legal pad of what needed to be done in maintenance,” Greg Ruthven said. 

When Joe Ruthven was mayor of Lakeland back in 1971, he was largely responsible for the building the Lakeland Center, which is now called the RP Funding Center.

"It was in a lower income area and so the city was taking it by imminent domain and buying those people out. It was very controversial at the time. We would get calls at night with people upset cussing him out,” Greg Ruthven recalled.

However, he said the project proved to be successful.   

“Lakeland was king for concerts. People from Orlando and Tampa would drive to Lakeland because we had the concert venue for all the rock bands and it was huge for Lakeland. A big success,” Greg Ruthven said. 

Joe Ruthven served on the Lakeland Commission from 1968-1971. He didn’t win anymore political races after that, but his daughter Kay Hagan went on to become a U.S. Senator in North Carolina. 

Hagan, along with Joe Ruthven’s second wife Judy, both died on October 28, 2019, less than two months before he passed. 

The family asks that In lieu of flowers donations be made to Central Florida Speech and Hearing Center.