Ruth Saxton was born and raised in Hillside, New Jersey to parents Martha and Joseph Fugel.  In 1953 Ruth married Joseph Schoenig and soon after gave birth to their two daughters, Janice and Nancy.  After moving to Hopewell, New Jersey, Ruth worked as a secretary at Argus Engineering and later at Trenton State College, but mostly enjoyed being a stay-at-home-mom raising her daughters.

In 1978 Ruth married George Saxton and moved to Ewing, New Jersey.  Ruth not only embraced her new family members with the same love and affection she had shown to her own family, but celebrated the marriage of George’s children and the birth of George’s eight grandchildren.  To Ruth family was everything, and one of the most important occasions in Ruth’s life was the birth of her granddaughter Megan, born on November 24, 1994 to daughter Janice and proud father Curt Uehlein (and her adoring Aunt Nancy!) 

Ruth was an accomplished still-life and landscape painter, and devoted many years to animal welfare charities, including more than 20 years supporting the Popcorn Park Zoo, a New Jersey refuge helping abused and abandoned wildlife.  

Ruth is survived by George Saxton, husband of 35 years, and daughters Janice Uehlein and Nancy Schoenig.  Her extended surviving family includes sons Brad and Todd Saxton, their wives Anne Harrigan and Kim Saxton, daughter Jodi Saxton, and grandchildren Michael, Kate, Lindsey, Maxie, Zachary, Emily, Lois, and Patty.

In lieu of flowers the family is asking that donations be made to Popcorn Park Zoo at http://www.ahscares.org/ or the Environmental Defense Fund at http://www.edf.org.