This weekend, Alabama is entering a new chapter in college football with Kalen DeBoer taking over as head coach. However, the program’s former leader, Nick Saban, is dealing with a personal loss. His mother, Ruth Mary Saban Pasko, passed away late Thursday at the age of 92.
Born on July 29, 1932, in Michigan, Ruth spent most of her life in Farmington, West Virginia. She was the daughter of Jane and Harry Conaway and was active in high school as a cheerleader and majorette. It was at Farmington High School that she met and married Nick Saban, a notable baseball player who later helped start Pop Warner football in the region with Willie Criado.
Ruth and Nick operated the Saban Gulf Service Station and an adjoining restaurant and Dairy King, serving communities in Carolina, Monongah, Farmington, and Fairmont. She was a dedicated supporter of the Pop Warner Black Diamond Football team, managing concessions and decorating the bus for the team while Nick drove them to games. Their children, Dene and Nick Jr., were also involved in football, with Dene as a cheerleader and Nick Jr. as the quarterback.
Ruth, along with Nick’s mother Anna and his aunts, was a constant presence at games from the Pop Warner days through high school and college. She shared a close bond with her sister Fran Popovich and her family, who were also steadfast supporters of Alabama Football.
Beyond her sports enthusiasm, Ruth was a talented seamstress, creating clothes for her grandchildren and even her own wedding gown. She worked for CB&T Bank in Fairmont for many years and later for the West Virginia Secretary of State Department for over two decades. After the death of her first husband, she married Bobby Pasko, whom she had reconnected with at a high school reunion. They enjoyed golf, dancing, and following football together. Following Bobby’s passing, Ruth lived at Danberry Retirement Community in Birmingham.
She is survived by her children, Dene Thompson and Nick Saban; six grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren, as well as her sisters Fran Popovich and Ginger Hill. She was preceded in death by her sister Bobby Jane Parrish, her husbands Nick Saban and Bobby Pasko, and her parents.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to Nick’s Kids Foundation at nickskidsfoundation.org or by mail at 1130 University Blvd. Ste. B9-201, Tuscaloosa, AL 35401.
One memorable story shared by Brett McMurphy from the Action Network highlights Ruth’s humor: during one of Nick’s practices, she called him to boast about making a hole-in-one, a feat Nick had never achieved.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with Coach Saban and his family during this difficult time,” McMurphy tweeted.
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