Diane Ruiz, a retired Whitmer High School administrator and a longtime Spanish teacher who brought energy to language instruction, died April 4 in Ebeid Hospice Residence, Toledo. She was 71.

She had cancer, her brother, Roger Goddu, said.

Mrs. Ruiz of Sylvania Township taught Spanish to sixth, seventh, and eighth graders for more than a decade at St. Joseph School, Sylvania, retiring several years ago to care for her husband, Rene, who was ill.

“She was as enthusiastic at 65 as she was at 21,” her brother said.

Mrs. Ruiz traveled from class to class with a cart bearing Spanish-language books, but also a record player, and sometimes candy. Arriving at the classroom door, she knocked and entered singing.

“She was so dynamic,” said Sally Koppinger, St. Joseph principal. “A class with her was fun, but not only that, she empathized with students. She loved teaching, because she loved kids.”

Mrs. Ruiz was on the staff at Whitmer for much of her career, first as a Spanish teacher in the mid-1960s. She became chairman of the foreign language department and, in 1987, became associate principal of curriculum and scheduling at Whitmer, a position she held until retirement more than a dozen years later.

She was born July 31, 1943, in South Carolina to Marie and Vincent Goddu. After stops in Springfield, Mass., and Sunbury, Pa., the family in 1955 settled in Toledo. She was a 1961 graduate of Central Catholic, where a Spanish class sparked her interest.

She received a bachelor’s degree in education from Bowling Green State University, where she met her husband, Rene Ruiz, who was a BGSU professor of romance languages. She later received a certification in school administration.

The couple traveled extensively, usually to Spanish-speaking countries. Her husband left Cuba in 1961, disenchanted with the Communists, and at first settled in Miami. Many Ruiz family members remained in Miami, and visiting “was a yearly pilgrimage,” her brother said.

Outside of school, Mrs. Ruiz was a private person, her brother said. She was a devout member of Our Lady of Lourdes Church.

She also was a fan of Christmas and paid regular visits to Bronner’s Christmas Wonderland in Frankenmuth, Mich.

She and her husband married Nov. 21, 1969. He died April 29, 2014.

Surviving are her mother, Marie Goddu; brother, Roger Goddu, and stepsons, Rene and Arturo Ruiz.

Memorial services will be at 4 p.m. May 21 in Our Lady of Lourdes Church. Arrangements are by Walker Funeral Home. The family suggests tributes to Our Lady of Lourdes’ “We Build” campaign.

Contact Mark Zaborney at: mzaborney@theblade.com or 419-724-6182.

First Published April 16, 2015, 4:00 a.m.