Ruth Ann

Pastrick

Ruth Ann Pastrick (nee Stolle)

A Life Rich in Faith and Family

There wasn't a holiday she couldn't make magical or a political conversation she couldn't hold her own in. Ruth Ann Pastrick (Stolle), beloved wife and mother, Nana and matriarch of her family, passed away peacefully on Nov. 9, 2026. She was 94 years old.

Mrs. Pastrick was born Oct. 27, 1932, in East Chicago, Ind., to Ruth and Joseph Stolle. She grew up in Marktown, attended St. Mary's Academy in South Bend, and went on to study at Dunbarton College of the Holy Cross and Barat College.

She married Robert Andrew "Bob" Pastrick, the love of her life, and their bond lasted 62 years until his death in 2016. Early in Bob's political career, while he recovered in a tuberculosis sanatorium, Ruth Ann stepped in to fill his seat on the city council for several months. When he later became mayor, she served as First Lady of East Chicago for 33 years, standing beside him as his steadiest supporter. She also gave her time and heart to the Carmelite Home for Children in East Chicago.

Inspired by the legacy of Lady Bird Johnson, Ruth Ann founded the area's Beautification Committee and dedicated herself to planting trees throughout her city. She brought that same commitment to the board of St. Joseph's College, now Calumet College of St. Joseph.

Her passion for travel became a career. As part owner of the Travel Gallery, she planned trips for countless clients, and that expertise carried over to many years of service on the board of the Lake County Tourism & Convention Bureau. Still, she kept a few destinations for herself. Paris was a favorite. Manzanillo, Mexico, was another, a getaway and welcome respite from northern Indiana winters. She and Bob spent many winters there with her brother-in-law Jerry and his wife Nan, and later Joan, along with many friends. Closer to home, she and Bob cherished their evenings in Chicago at Crickets and at the Cape Cod Room, where her order was always a perfect CC Manhattan.

Above all, Ruth Ann was a gatherer who was happiest with her children around her. Through the years she made every season memorable for them, and she passed on a gift all seven carry today: a joy in cooking and entertaining. Her children still marvel at how she hosted friends on Christmas Eve for a lively party after midnight Mass, then pulled off a festive Christmas morning and dinner with all the cousins just hours later. Her Scorpio party and her Luau are still talked about. She also delighted in tending the garden at her Ski Hill home in Ogden Dunes. As a Nana, she showed up for all of the milestones and special occasions of her grandchildren.

Her girlfriends meant the world to her. Dana, Della, Margo, Mary Anne and so many others were sisters in every way, and she was grateful for each one.

A devout Catholic, she was a parishioner of St. Patrick's in East Chicago and St. Ann of the Dunes in Beverly Shores. In her later years, she never missed the Sunday Mass broadcast from Holy Name Cathedral in Chicago with Cardinal Cupich.

After many years in Ogden Dunes and Sand Creek, Ruth Ann reluctantly moved to Story Point in Chesterton, where she lived for the past four years. She came to feel at home there. She befriended the staff and was cared for by kind caretakers who became part of her extended family. Art classes and puzzles filled her days, and she often remarked how lucky she was to make new friendships in her nineties. That was Ruth Ann, a glass half full woman who found something to celebrate in every chapter of her life. We can guarantee heaven's tables are set a little more beautifully today, and that Bob is waiting to take her hand.

Mrs. Pastrick is survived by her seven children, Robert Scott (Courtney), Michael Drew, David Joseph (Kimberly), Jennifer Ann, Mary Ruth Reilly (Thomas), Susan Marie O'Keefe (Michael) and Kevin Townsend (Elaine), 17 grandchildren, 15 great grandchildren, her sister Betty Jo Cavanaugh, sister-in-law Joan Pastrick, and many nieces, nephews, family, and friends. She was preceded in death by her husband Bob, her brother Bill Stolle and her parents, Ruth and Joseph Stolle, and in-laws John and Nanette Pastrick.

Friends may visit with the family on Sunday, November, 15, 2026 from 2:00PM to 5:00PM at Solan-Pruzin Funeral Home, 14 Kennedy Avenue, Schererville, IN 46375. A Prayer Service will be held at 4:15PM at the funeral home. Funeral Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Monday, November 16, 2026 at 10:30AM at St. Ann of the Dunes, 433 Golfwood Rd, Beverly Shores, IN 46301 with Rev. Jerry Schweitzer officiating. Friends are welcome to visit the family from 10:00AM until time of Funeral Mass. Burial will follow at Ridgelawn-Mt. Mercy Cemetery, Gary, Indiana.

Donations may be made on behalf of Ruth Ann to St. Ann of the Dunes in Beverly Shores and Dunes Hospice in Valparaiso, Indiana.