Ruth Ann Lehnertz-Sargent

Ruth Ann Lehnertz-Sargent, age 74, died at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Savannah, GA in the afternoon of January 26th, 2026, surrounded by several members of her loving family. Despite the ever-growing list of life-threatening ailments she faced throughout her adult life, in the end it was an un-expected, unbeknownst spat of lung cancer that took her swiftly from us, the same way her beloved sister Amy died in 2017. She was the center of our family universe that we all orbited around. Ruthie was born in Winona, MN, the eldest child of Theresa (Galewski) and Paul Lehnertz. Her father died when she was 12 years old in 1964 and she always said she was never quite the same ever again. After graduating from Wabasha High School in 1969, she and her eventu-al husband of 44 years, John, lived in Chicago, NYC, and Minneapolis.She unearthed a passion for food and cooking while living in New York City and attended the Hotel & Restaurant Management Program at the Community College at CUNY. Chef Ruthie learned some of her best recipes & dishes during this era! She was especially proud of her short career as a Director of Catering at the Sheraton Rus-sell Hotel in Manhattan and the Radisson Metrodome Hotel in Minneapolis and always bragged about how she put on events for Prince, the Minnesota Twins, and Tom Petty.In her late 30’s she experienced her first seizures and was diagnosed with an arteriovenous malformation in her right temporal lobe, ending her professional career. Sub-sequently she underwent brain surgery to remove the AVM in 1990. She loved exaggerating and shocking people, telling them about how she had a stroke and died on the table! Luckily this wasn’t the end of her story.After the brain surgery she was different; “touch the brain, never the same!” she would singsong. The brain surgery reduced the likelihood of an aneurysm; however she never lived an-other day without at least a small headache and often experienced debilitating migraines and seizures. She had to learn how to walk, talk, and write again. Ruthie was the strongest person you know but she definitely was not the silent suffering type. She loved to martyr herself. The loss of that chunk of her brain caused her to become easily tearful, histrionic, and conversationally tangential. It also took some of her confidence, but she could still put anyone in their place with a sharp remark up until the end. And she could still be exacting; cajoling us to go back to the store and get an acceptable brand of noodles for the lasagna. Ruthie was like a cat who lived 9 lives. She was a self-described “bleeding heart liberal” and women’s libber. She survived a daunting list of ailments, illnesses and broken bones. With a strong heart and a stubborn determination she conquered them all. Except the dreaded family nemesis - cancer.For the last chapter of her life living in Savannah she enjoyed traveling around the country with John, going for golf cart rides among the salt marshes, attending gourmet club, playing solitaire, get-ting her nails done, and eat-ing whatever sweet treats she came across. Near the end, on her best day in the hospital, she joked that she felt well enough to get down on her hands and knees and scrub the floors - the only proper way!She leaves behind her dedicated husband John Sargent; her favorite son Christopher Sargent of St. Paul, MN; her favorite daughter Cal Whitney Sargent currently residing in LA; her siblings Janet (Lehnertz) Williams, Bill Lehnertz, Michael Lehnertz, step-sister Pat (Cierzan) Thornton and many nieces, nephews, and friends.Memorial will be held March 20, 2026 at Sobieski Park Lodge, Winona from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.