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Obituary for Ruth M. Milligan Sanford
Ruth M. Milligan Sanford, age 89, of Caldwell, Ohio, died Saturday, May 13, 2017, at Riverside Methodist Hospital in Columbus. She was born October 1, 1927, in Detroit, Michigan, daughter of the late Howard C. and Margaret Mae Doughtery Milligan. Ruth was a beloved mother and homemaker. She graduated from high school in 1948 from the Ohio School for the Deaf in Columbus. She along with her husband held periodic church services in their home for the deaf community for many years, and she was a former member of the Thimble Circle. She was a volunteer lifeguard at the Happy Time Pool in Caldwell upon its opening, and she taught lifesaving to the local Boy Scout troops. Ruth was a softball coach and player for the Lassie League, and she was an avid fan of The Ohio State University, the Cleveland Indians, and the Cleveland Cavaliers. She enjoyed fishing, golfing, swimming, bowling, volleyball, and gardening.
In addition to her parents, she is preceded in death by one sister, Dorothy Mattie; and two brothers, Captain Donald F. Milligan and Jack E. Milligan.
Surviving are her husband, Donald W. Sanford, whom she dated three years and married January 14, 1950; two sons, Robert L. (Donna) Sanford of Whitinsville, Massachusetts and Jerry E. Sanford of Caldwell; two grandchildren, Amanda “Amy” Sanford of Whitinsville, Massachusetts and Andrea (Jess) Lachapelle of Northbridge, Massachusetts; four great-grandchildren, Emma, Jake, Joel, and Evan Lachapelle; and several nieces and nephews.
Friends may call Thursday, May 18, 2017, from 2-4 and 6-8PM at McVay-Perkins Funeral Home, 416 East Street, Caldwell, where the funeral service will be observed Friday, May 19th at 11AM with Ken Perkins officiating. Burial will follow at Olive Cemetery in Caldwell. Memorial contributions may be made to the Columbus Colony Ohio School for the Deaf Alumni Association, 1055 Colony Drive, Westerville, Ohio, 43081.
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