Ruth Sparks Byrne

Ruth Sparks Byrne passed away on October 16, 2016, one week shy of her 95th birthday. A proud Arizona native, Ruth was born in Peoria on October 23, 1921. She spent most of her childhood in Glendale, returning there to live permanently in 1973. Ruth's parents were C.L. and Ethel (Barnes) Sparks, who arrived in Arizona from Texas prior to statehood. C.L. was a long-time Glendale City Council member and later served as Maricopa County Assessor for many years. Ruth met her husband George Byrne when he was Aviation Cadet at a dance at Thunderbird Field (now Thunderbird School of International Management) while he was training as a pilot during World War II. Ruth and George were married in 1943 and enjoyed a long and happy marriage until George's death in 1998. Ruth and George had five children, Mike, Pat, Tim, Tom and Anne. George was a career Air Force officer, and his service took the family all over the United States, and to both Japan and Germany. Ruth loved the sense of adventure afforded by the military lifestyle and the opportunity to travel and experience new places. She was matter-of-fact in meeting the challenges of frequent single-parenting while George was on assignment and routinely ""cleared quarters"" on her own, with children in tow. Over a 25-year span, Ruth and George lived in 24 different homes, some briefly and others for the full three-year assignment. Upon retirement from the military, George and Ruth, along with Tom and Anne, moved back to Ruth's beloved Glendale. Both Ruth and George became active in the Glendale Arizona Historical Society, giving tours at the Sahuaro Ranch Guest House and hosting weddings at the Rose Garden. Ruth was fond of saying that serving as a tour guide was the perfect activity for an old person story-teller like her. Indeed, thousands of visitors to Sahuaro Ranch were regaled with Ruth's vivid descriptions of the Glendale of yesteryear. Ruth served as President of the Historical Society for many years and was an invaluable resource on Glendale's living history. Her keen memory of Glendale's early days made her the authoritative source in identifying people and places from days gone by. Anyone who happened to take a drive around Glendale and the west valley with Ruth learned a great deal about the history and development of its people and places. In recognition for her significant contributions to honoring Glendale's history, the City of Glendale created the annual Ruth Byrne Historic Preservation Award to acknowledge individuals and organizations who have made significant contributions to preserving the rich history of the area. Ruth was a force of nature who was genuinely interested in every person she met. She was optimistic and had a terrific sense of humor and loved to laugh, which was infectious to all around her. Ruth's warmth and personal interest left a lasting impression on all who met her. If she was fond of you, which she was of most, she let you know in ways large and small just how special you were. Ruth was an avid reader and a lifelong Democrat. She was thrilled to learn recently that her hometown paper, the Arizona Republic, endorsed a democrat for the first time in this election cycle. Ruth's death was sudden and unexpected, as she had pretty much convinced everyone she would live forever. She moved to Colorado a year ago and enjoyed time spent with her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren. She spent a lot of time recently reading and re-reading the many letters her husband George sent her when he was away on assignment. While he preceded her in death by 18 years, she spoke of him often, as if he had only been gone a short while. Ruth's life was not without its sorrows, as two of her sons died before her. Pat died at the young age of 29 in 1977, from an undiagnosed heart problem, and Tom died just last year at 58 from cancer. Ruth is also predeceased by her parents and her sisters Laurine Thomas and Millie Lamb. She is survived by her children, Mike (Kathy), Tim (Susan) and Anne (Denise Selvey) and four nieces, Gina and Buffy Lamb, Lynette Palmer and Joyce …. Ruth's six grandchildren were a source of great joy and she loved each of them for their unique selves. Her grandchildren include Laura (Spencer) Hamm, Amanda (Song) Kim, Patrick Massaro, Melanie Byrne, Dylan and Sean Nadon. She was blessed to spend time with her three great-grandsons, Grayson Kim, Harrison Hamm, and newborn Maxwell Kim. She was dearly loved by all. In lieu of flowers, please honor Ruth with a gift to her beloved Glendale Arizona Historical Society at www.glendalearizonahistoricalsociety.org. A memorial service will be held on Saturday, November 19 at 3:00pm at the Rose Garden at Sahuaro Ranch Park, 9802 N. 59th Ave. in Glendale. Please join Ruth's family in sharing a memory and honoring this wonderful woman who touched so many.