Helen Ruth Catalano

Dr. Ruth Lytle Catalano left us on August 19th, 2013 to organize the Girl Scout troops in heaven. Ruth was born, Helen Ruth Lytle, in Owensboro, Kentucky to Robert Gibson Lytle and Susie “Irene” King on April 26, 1941. In 5th grade with five classmates named “Helen”, she officially became known to all but her mother as “Ruth.” She experienced a childhood full of adventures from attending the 1956 Senior Girl Scout Round Up where she learned to cook outdoors from a troop who included Rosa Parks, to becoming the first child in America to receive the penicillin antibiotic as a favor to her father from the US Secretary of State when she was deathly ill. Ruth graduated from Greensboro HS in 1959 and attended the Greensboro Women’s College until she followed her parents to Tempe, AZ. She earned her Bachelor in Home Economics from the UofA in 1963. She met the love of her life, Rene Catalano, at Luke Air Force base when college girls where bused in to dance with soldiers. Her future husband made sure he was paired with her by counting ahead in the line and switching places with a friend. They married on June 6th, 1964. Ruth was committed to education, through teaching and later earning both her Masters in 1968 and Doctorate in Education from ASU in 1974. She left the classroom, but not teaching, and started working at WACOP where she began her lifelong dedication to technology in education. That passion continued far beyond her career and retirement from the Washington and then Glendale Elementary School Districts. Ruth became the official “grandmother of AZTEA” and continued to promote technology in education through conferences, webinars, and working with ADE. A lifelong passionate and dedicated Girl Scout, Ruth led troop 303 for over 30 years before deciding to focus on educating adult scouts. She was known and beloved as “Pepper” both by her scouts and those across the country. As a leader she embodied the motto be prepared. From First Aide and CPR, to arts and crafts supplies, she was prepared to the nth degree. She even branched out into Cub Scouts when her twin grandsons wanted to be a part of scouting too. Ruth loved her family, friends, and scouts and enjoyed traveling, especially to Mexico, standard poodles, unicorns, all Mac products, and quilting/crafting. She will be loved and missed by many and is preceded in death by her parents, husband Renault Catalano, brother Col. David King Lytle, and sister-in-law Nancy Catalano. Ruth is survived by her daughter Renee M. Catalano and husband Aaron Brewer and daughter Jacque C. Catalano Nelson and husband Michael W. Nelson, grandchildren Mariah, Tyler, Sierra, Aidan and Cory; her brother-in-law John Catalano, and sister-in-laws Carolyn Lytle and Roseanne Farence; and a host of adopted family from Girl Scouts, gun schools, and education. Ruth made friends effortlessly with humor and food and to honor that a Celebration of her life will be held at her house following the Sept. 7th memorial service at 10am in the Greenwood Memorial Cemetery of Phoenix Serenity Chapel. In lieu of flowers, the family encourages contributions in memory of Ruth Catalano are made payable to: GSACPC Gold Award Scholarship 119 E. Coronado Phoenix, AZ 85004 to establish the Ruth Catalano Girl Scout Scholarship for Girl Scouts interested in Education and please buy the Girl Scout cookies.