As Alabama embarks on a new chapter in college football this weekend with head coach Kalen DeBoer at the helm, the program and its legendary former coach, Nick Saban, are facing a profound personal loss. Saban’s mother, Ruth Mary Saban Pasko, has passed away at the age of 92.
Born on July 29, 1932, in Michigan, Ruth Mary spent most of her life in Farmington, West Virginia. She was a high school cheerleader and majorette, where she met her future husband, Nick Saban, a notable baseball player who later co-founded Pop Warner football in the area.
Together, Nick and Ruth operated Saban Gulf Service Station and a nearby restaurant and Dairy King, serving the local communities. Ruth was deeply involved in supporting the Pop Warner Black Diamond Football team and was a constant presence at her children’s sporting events.
In addition to her dedication to family and football, Mary was a talented seamstress and had a long career with CB&T Bank and the West Virginia Secretary of State Department. After the death of her first husband, Nick, she married Bobby Pasko, with whom she enjoyed golf and dancing until his passing. Mary later moved to Danberry Retirement Community in Birmingham.
She is survived by her children, Dene Thompson and Nick Saban; six grandchildren; four great-grandchildren; and sisters Fran Popovich and Ginger Hill. She was preceded in death by her sister Bobby Jane Parrish, her first husband Nick Saban, second husband Bobby Pasko, and her parents, Jane and Harry Conaway.
The family requests that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to the Nick’s Kids Foundation at nickskidsfoundation.org or by mail.
Tuscaloosa Memorial Chapel Funeral Home & Crematory is handling the arrangements.
One memorable anecdote shared by Brett McMurphy of the Action Network highlights Ruth Mary’s spirited nature: she once called Nick during practice to boast about a hole-in-one she had achieved, a feat Nick had never accomplished.
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