Elizabeth Ruth Saylor, 84, of Muscle Shoals, Alabama, passed away on September 22, 2026, in Florence, Alabama. Ruth was born on April 14, 1942, to Homer Elgin McClendon and Emma Elizabeth McClendon and was raised in Marshall County, Alabama, as the ninth of ten children.
Ruth married Arthur Marvin Saylor, and they remained devoted to one another for 57 years until his death in 2022. Together they raised four children and built a life centered on family, hard work, faith, and the many businesses and adventures they shared along the way. Ruth handled the administrative side of their successful concrete contracting company and used-car business and was Arthur’s right hand through one venture after another, although those who knew them well might sometimes have wondered whether it was actually the other way around.
Home and family were always at the center of Ruth’s life. She loved her children deeply, and that love naturally extended to the families they built around them. To her children she was Momma; to the younger generations she was MeeMaw, a name that came to carry with it the meals, the stories, the phone calls, the opinions, the laughter, and the unmistakable sense that family mattered. She had an eye for special antique glassware, loved working in her yard and tending to her flowers, kept a neat and orderly house, and was famously an early riser. She was an excellent cook and took great pride in preparing memorable meals for her family. Ruth also loved to talk and could tell a story, with a memory her family often described as a steel trap. She loved Alabama football, followed sports and current events closely, and had no shortage of opinions about any of them. Her family affectionately called her a “tough old bird,” and when she became especially stirred up about a ballgame, the news, or almost anything else, Arthur would sometimes call her “Fido,” giving rise to the family refrain, “Sic ’em, Fido.” For all of her strength and personality, Ruth never wanted anyone to make a fuss over her, often reminding her family, “Don’t make a fuss about me,” a request they frequently chose to ignore.
Ruth leaves behind memories to be cherished by her sons, Russell Saylor and his wife Cindy, and John Saylor and his wife Stephanie; daughter, JoAnne Goins; brother, Tommy McClendon and his wife Linda; grandchildren, Brad Saylor and Belinda, Emma Underwood and her husband Mark, Amber Minor and her husband Ryan, Sheena Blocker and Shawn, Haley Smith and her husband Bennett, Davis Goins, Ellie Saylor Latta and her husband Briggs, Crawford Saylor, and Alex Parker; and great-grandchildren, Addison, Anna Beth, Ava, Millie, JJ, Greyson, Asher, and Lillian, along with a large extended family who loved her dearly.
Ruth was preceded in death by her beloved husband, Arthur Marvin Saylor; her parents, Homer and Emma McClendon; her daughter, Amy Elizabeth Blocker; her son-in-law, Bill Goins; and eight of her nine siblings.
Ruth was a believer in Jesus Christ and was saved and baptized at Ruth Baptist Church near Arab, Alabama. Her faith brought her particular comfort, especially after Arthur’s death, and she often told her family that she could not wait to go home and see their father again.
A visitation with Ruth’s family will be held Sunday, October 4, 2026, at Arab Heritage Memorial Chapel, 1340 North Main Street, Arab, Alabama, from 12:00 noon until 2:00 p.m. A Celebration of Life service will follow at 2:00 p.m., with Brother Kenneth Smith officiating. Burial will follow at Mt. Oak Cemetery in the Ruth community. Arab Heritage Memorial Chapel assisting the family with arrangements.
In lieu of flowers, Ruth requested that memorial donations be made to The Bill Goins Foundation, Inc., which assists North Alabama cancer patients with basic needs and treatment-related expenses. Donations may be made at www.thebillgoinsfoundation.com or mailed to 204 W. Bailey Springs Drive, Florence, AL 35634.
