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Ruth Eloise (Green) Saffell, 93, of Garden City, Kansas, passed away on Friday, October 7, 2016, at the home of John and Cindy Lightner.
There will be a graveside service and memorial at the burial site in the Lynn Creek Cemetery near Berryton, Kansas, on Saturday, October 15, 2016, at 2:00 p.m. She will be buried beside her husband Thomas F. Saffell.
Ruth was born in Meriden, Kansas, to Lyell Arthur Green and Jettie Katherine (Engel) Green in 1923. She spent her childhood years in Meriden, Perry, Carbondale, and Berryton, Kansas. She and future husband, Tom Saffell, met when her family moved to Berryton her senior year. She graduated from Berryton High School, where her father was Principal, and later from Kansas University in 1946, with a degree in architectural engineering. She resided at Miller Scholarship Hall during her college years. While at KU she was invited to join the Men Of Marvin, an engineering organization on campus. This made her the first woman to enter this male dominated group of engineers. She also belonged to Tau Beta Pi, a national, honorary, engineering society for men. Ruth was one of two women who were the first in Kansas to be thus honored. A special provision was made for them to receive this scholastic honor.
Ruth was married to Thomas F. Saffell on December 20, 1946, in Lawrence, Kansas. They were married for 65 years, living in Lamont, Douglass, Wamego, Garden City, Greeley, Co., Lawrence, and Wichita.
Ruth worked off and on, with five children to rear. She taught drafting at K-State, calculus at KU, and also worked at Boeing. She was an expert seamstress and supplied the whole family with clothing for many years. Ruth belonged for more than 50 years to P.E.O. Ruth enjoyed softball and golf. She loved interior decorating and landscaping her homes. She and Tom loved to travel and visited many places in and out of the USA.
Ruth is preceded in death by her parents Lyell & Jettie Green, her husband Tom Saffell, her sister Mary Davis, and sister Florence Stout.
She is survived by her sister, Virginia Higgins of Hutchinson; her five children Susan Mayo of Wichita, KS, Linda Kraus of Waco, TX, Thomas Saffell of Abilene, KS, Cindy Lightner of Garden City, KS, and Kirk Saffell of San Antonio, TX; and many grandchildren and great grandchildren, nieces and nephews.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be given to the Thomas F. Saffell Scholarship Fund at Garden City Community College, where Tom served as President, in care of Garnand Funeral Home of Garden City.