Ruth M. Klingener, 92, of 1140 Lakemont Drive, died at home Thursday, October 3, 2002.
She was born in Weehawken, NJ, September 19, 1910 a daughter of G. Sundback (the inventor of the modern metal zipper and a co-founder of the Hookless Fastener Corporation, which later became Talon, Inc.) and Elvira Aronson. Her mother died soon after childbirth, and she was raised in Sweden by her grandmother and aunts.
She came to live in Meadville with her father in 1928, where she attended Allegheny College as the first foreign student, subsequently graduating in 1933. She then attended Margaret Morrison College at Carnegie Tech in Pittsburgh.
She married John Klingener on August 10, 1935 and he preceded her in death March 3, 1987.
She was active in Meadville’s community and charitable affairs that included service on the board and as president of Hillside Home and the YWCA, service on the Board of Incorporators of the Meadville Medical Center and the Board of Trustees of Allegheny College. She was an active member of the Meadville Garden Club, the Antique Study Club, the Women’s Literary Club, The Allegheny College Alumni Association and the Kappa Alpha Theta sorority. She served as president of the Meadville City Hospital Auxiliary, a position that required her to appear in a can-can line in one of the earliest presentations of the Charity Follies. She was also a member of the Iroquois Club, the Meadville Country Club and Stone United Methodist Church.
She was active in preserving the legacy of her father, contributing to the Allegheny College Library documents and artifacts of early zipper development, and helping historians in research of its early history.
Survivors, include: a son, James Frederick Klingener of Roxbury, CT; three granddaughters, Alice Klingener of Leyden, MA, Nancy Klingener of Key West, FL and Erika Klingener of Pittsburgh, PA; a grandson, David Klingener of Shelburne Falls, MA; a brother, Eric H. Sundback of Shepherdstown, WV and nieces and nephews.
She was preceded in death by a son, David John Klingener; Stepmother, Marguerite Sundback and two brothers, P. Sundback and Richard R. Sundback.
Calling hours will be Monday from 2-4 and 7-9 p.m. at the Robert W. Waid Funeral Home, Inc., 581 Chestnut St., Meadville.
The funeral service will be Tuesday at 10:30 a.m. at Stone United Methodist Church, 956 S. Main Street, Meadville with the Rev. William L. Brown, Visitation Pastor of the church, officiating.
Burial will be in Greendale Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorials be made to the Sundback Library at Allegheny College, Box 21, Meadville, PA 16335.
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