Obituary of Ruth E. Savastio

Ruth Elizabeth Savastio, 99, of Clifton Park, NY passed away peacefully in her home on October 19, 2025. 

Born Ruth Berdine on January 16, 1926, to George and Charlotte Berdine in Philadelphia, PA, Ruth was the oldest of five children. Ruth married Leonard A. Savastio and became the mother of 11 children, 24 grandchildren and 23 great-grandchildren.  

As a girl, Ruth loved roller skating around Philly, and visiting museums, libraries, and movie theaters. She loved classic films, Broadway shows, and travelling.  A beauty till the end, Ruth did some part-time modeling while working as a waitress in Philly and the Poconos.

Ruth had a voracious appetite for learning. She especially loved reading and doing crossword puzzles, hobbies that she passed on to her many descendants. Ruth also had a passion for nature. She loved looking at the sky, and at trees and flowers. She had a great fondness for animals, too, in particular cats and birds.

As part of her love of nature, Ruth was an early adopter of recycling. She volunteered at a recycling center while living in Virginia in the 1970s. In her later years, she enjoyed taking daily (sometimes twice daily) walks at Kinns Road Park in Clifton Park.

Ruth was a loving and supportive presence who will be dearly missed by her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.   

Ruth was predeceased by her parents and siblings, as well as her husband of over 50 years and her son, Joseph A. Savastio.  She was also predeceased by her grandsons Liam McGlinchey and James Savastio, Jr.  Ruth is survived by ten of her children: Christopher (JoAnn Bisogno), Charlotte (Kurt) Larson, Vicki Savastio, Dorothy Pratt, Lenny (Rennae), George (Beth Devlin), Helen (Tom McGlinchey) Savastio, John (Winnie Yu), Jim (Becky), and Robert.

During the early years of her marriage, Ruth stayed home and cared for her family. Leonard’s job at General Electric required the family to move from Philadelphia, to Scotia, NY, Niantic, CT, Newport News, VA, and lastly, to her home in Clifton Park, NY.

Ruth’s children remember her as an amazing cook and baker who always followed recipes to a “T” (including her famous turkey gravy). Some of her delicious dinners included Rice Krispies-covered chicken and pork chops; spaghetti and meatballs; pork roast with beans; pepper steak with rice; and chicken and rice (both made with Minute Rice - very popular in the 1960’s). As for baking, she frequently made a Bisquick chocolate chip coffee cake for her children to enjoy at breakfast, as well as chocolate chip, pinwheel, and ginger cookies for their lunches.

After all her children were in school, Ruth worked for many years as a home health aide, using her natural nurturing abilities to care for people who wanted to age at home. In many cases, she became their friends.

In her final years, Ruth herself was cared for at her home by her children, especially by her oldest son Christopher and his wife JoAnn and more recently by her youngest son, Robert. In the last months of her life, Ruth was supported by a team of home health care professionals -- Tena, Shamara, and Margurite.

Ruth was cremated by the Gordon C. Emerick Funeral Home in Clifton Park. A private family ceremony will be held in January 2026 in honor of what would have been her 100^th birthday.  Donations in her memory may be made to the Hudson Mohawk Humane Society or to CAPTAIN Community Human Services in Clifton Park.