Ruth Botez

1927 - 2020

TOGETHER AGAIN On Sunday, February 2, 2020, Ruth Botez, 93, serenely departed this world while fast asleep & awoke in the waiting arms of her beloved husband, Peter. Ruth was born in 1927, in an idyllic lakeside town in Prussia where she spent so much time in the water as a child that her mother feared she would "turn into a fish!" She soon grew into a beautiful & fastidious young lady (more like Esther Williams than a fish) with an inherent sense of fashion & quickly became employed by the town's photographer as an assistant/model. Unfortunately however, young Ruth's bright future was darkened by the terrible shadow of war & she spent much of her teenage years working in the fields because "There were no men. They were all away fighting." Her situation only became worse when the war ended & she suffered the loss of her mother from starvation at the tender age of 19. Many years of hard work with little reward followed. In 1956, Ruth and her family (she now had a husband and two young sons) emigrated to America to start a new, hopeful chapter in their lives. When Peter lost his job due to lay-off, Ruth supported her family by working at the then glamorous Mayflower Hotel, where her consummate organizational and culinary skills made her an invaluable employee and a mere 12 years later the family had saved enough to start their own car repair business, The Little Bug Shop, an Akron institution spanning three decades where the entire family worked together (Ruth in charge of the bookkeeping). Even as a grandmother, Ruth was a perfectionist, her hair expertly coiffed and lipstick freshly applied all while creating delicious meals and scrumptious baked goods in a kitchen cleaner than most operating rooms which she would then deliver to her grandchildren who splashed in the pool next to her beautiful garden. She will be fondly remembered and forever missed by her sons, Wolfgang and Peter Botez; sister, Evelyn Papenfuss; grandchildren, Nichole Esker and Brian (Veronica) Botez; great-grandchildren, John Devitt and Ava Botez; niece, Jasmin Nece; and nephew, Joachim Papenfuss. A gathering of family and friends will be held on Friday, February 7, 2020 from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. at Bacher Funeral Home, 3326 Manchester Rd., Akron. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at St. Francis de Sales Church, 4019 Manchester Rd., Akron, OH 44319 on Saturday, February 8, 2020 at 10 a.m. Interment at Greenlawn Memorial Park. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the ALS Association (www.alsa.org/donate) in memory of Ruth. Condolences and memories may be shared with Ruth's family at the funeral home website. 330-644-0024 Bacher-Portage Lakes