Mildred Sanders RUGGLES

RUGGLES Mildred Sanders, wife of John F. Ruggles Jr. (founder, Ruggles Sign Company), and daughter of Josephine King Sanders and Colonel Harland Sanders (founder, Kentucky Fried Chicken), passed away peacefully on Tue, Sep 21, 2010 at the age of 91. Mrs. Ruggles lived a full life at the side of her husband, promoting Ruggles Sign Company, and at the side of her father, promoting Kentucky Fried Chicken, in addition to her philanthropic activities. Mildred Marie Sanders was born Aug 15, 1919, in Jeffersonville, IN, the youngest of three children and attended Saint Camillus Academy in Corbin, KY. She met her husband, John F. Ruggles Jr, at the first inauguration of Governor A.B. "Happy" Chandler and the two married on her eighteenth birthday in 1937. After World War II, she served as a Grey Lady at the Veterans Administration Hospital in Lexington, KY and assisted her husband in the start-up of Ruggles Sign Company. Staying home was never an option for Mildred and she traveled extensively with her father, Colonel Harland Sanders, during the early days of Kentucky Fried Chicken to help train new franchisees how to cook "the Colonel's way." She attended conventions and events to promote "finger lickin' good chicken" throughout the United States and abroad. In her spare time, Mrs. Ruggles was a member of Beta Sigma Phi, a Daughter of the American Revolution, a Daughter of the Nile, a well-loved Girl Scout leader, a member of the Bob-O-Link Homemakers, a member of the World Sign Association, a Board Member of the Mountain Laurel Festival, and a long-time member of Central Christian Church. She adored meeting people and fondly called her friends, old and new, by the name "Love." Mrs. Ruggles is survived by her daughter, Marlona Ruggles Ice (Daniel), Bardstown, KY, and her son, John F. Ruggles III (Vivian), Davie, FL. She has five grandchildren, Elizabeth Ruggles Pitchford (Murl), Salvisa, KY; Anna Ice Cambron (Tim), Versailles, KY; John T. Ice (Andrea), Malawi, Africa; Lee Ice, Lexington, KY; and Kathy Ice Wedding (Chad), Lexington, KY. And she has six great-grandchildren, Carly, Lauren and Seth Cambron; Providence and Liberty Ice; and Grace Pitchford. She was preceded in death by her husband, John F. Ruggles Jr., brother, Harland Sanders, Jr., and sister, Margaret Sanders. The family of Mildred would like to extend a special Thank You to her caregivers over the past years. Kelly Thomas, Renee Spencer, Patricia Thomason, and Alice Wafford have been a true blessing and our appreciation for their kindness and dedication cannot be expressed enough. A visitation will be held Fri, Oct 15th, at 9:30am at Central Christian Church, 205 East Short Street, Lexington, KY. This will be followed by a memorial service at 11am in the sanctuary. The family will hold a private burial. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests that contributions be made to Hospice of the Bluegrass, the Sanders-Brown Center on Aging, or Shriners' Hospital.