Pharmacist.
Born in Prince Edward County, Ontario on 27 December 1898, son of Frank E. Ruttan and Christine Carman, he was educated at Kelvin High School and the University of Manitoba where he was involved in formation of the Student’s Union and was Senior Stick in Pharmacy and a Gold Medalist. In 1919, he graduated with a degree in Pharmacy.
In 1922, he opened a drug store at the corner of Portage Avenue and Aldine Street in St. James and operated the business until putting it up for sale in 1952. He painted a mural on its east wall, to notify passing travellers that the next drug store was 54 miles to the west, in Portage la Prairie.
He was married twice, first to Alberta Elizabeth “Bertie” Roberts (?-1962) on 16 November 1922 in St. James and they had two daughters: Lillian Christine Ruttan (1925-?, wife of William Hoerick) and Jean Helen Ruttan (1926-?, wife of Neil Sullivan) before divorcing in 1942. The family lived above the drugstore on Portage Avenue. He later married Anna Dorothy O’Keeffe (?-1973). He was a member of the Alpine Club of Canada, Manitoba Pharmaceutical Association, and American Pharmaceutical Association.
He died at the Health Sciences Centre on 1 December 1973 and was buried in the St. James Cemetery.
See also:
Historic Sites of Manitoba: Ruttan’s Drug Store (2579 Portage Avenue, Winnipeg)
Ontario birth registration, Ancestry.
Marriage registration [Henry Carman Ruttan, Alberta Elizabeth Roberts], Manitoba Vital Statistics.
Birth registration [Lillian Christine Ruttan], Manitoba Vital Statistics.
1931 Canada census, Ancestry.
“Applications will be received,” Winnipeg Free Press, 21 December 1950, page 26.
Obituary [Alberta Ruttan], Winnipeg Free Press, 2 April 1962, page 26.
Obituary [Anna Dorothy Ruttan], Winnipeg Free Press, 30 June 1973, page 37.
Obituary, Winnipeg Free Press, 3 December 1973, page 28.
Winnipeg Divorce File Index, 1917-1984, Archives of Manitoba.
This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.
Page revised: 26 December 2025
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