Ruth S. Jacobus, 89, of Lancaster, PA, passed away on Friday, August 19, 2011.

Born in Leola, she was the daughter of the late John M. and Gertrude Groff Steffy.

She is survived by her son, Phillip O. (Jacobus) Iacobucci, married to Tricia, and by her one and only beloved grandson, Marc Iacobucci. Also surviving, are her 5 nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her brother, Richard E. Steffy.

Ruth attended East Lampeter Elementary School and graduated from East Lampeter High School. She went on to graduate in 1943 from the Lancaster General Hospital School of Nursing. Ruth then served 3 years in the US Navy, being accepted in the Officer Nursing Training Corps, attaining the rank of Lieutenant. During her service, she was stationed at Camp Perry, Virginia, where she treated returning wounded US soldiers as well as German Prisoners of War. At the end of World War II, Ruth worked with the American Red Cross in Hibbing, Minnesota from 1945 to 1946 during the polio epidemic, followed by a 6 month stint at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN in their Lung Surgical Department. She then studied at the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing, where she graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing and Public Health in 1949. Ruth then worked at various hospitals in the Philadelphia area, before returning to Lancaster.

Ruth was one of the original organizers of the Lancaster Head Start Program, where she formed their health component. Her years of service were from 1967, until her retirement in 1994. She was later honored for her 27 years of distinguished service by Head Start, with a building dedicated in her name at their South Lime St. facilities.

Ruth had a great love for the game of tennis, being an original member, founding officer, and lifetime member of the Lancaster Tennis and Riding Club. She was a nationally ranked senior player and, in April 2005, she was inducted into the Lancaster County Tennis Hall of Fame. She was also an accomplished bridge player, playing in several clubs, attaining the status of Duplicate Bridge Player. She lived by the phrase that "Tennis is for my movement, bridge is for my mental agility". Ruth's other love was for her four-legged daughter, "Bella", her beloved English Springer Spaniel.

She is the former wife of the late Dr. Aldo F. P. Jacobus, who died in 2001.

Friends will be received on Wednesday, August 24, 2011 from 5-7PM at the Charles F. Snyder Jr Funeral Home & Crematory, 3110 Lititz Pike, Lititz, PA. Interment services will be private and at the convenience of the family. In lieu of flowers, please make contributions in Ruth's memory to Hospice of Lancaster County, 685 Good Drive, Box 4125, Lancaster, PA 17604-4125  hospiceoflancaster.org or to the Humane League of Lancaster County, 2195 Lincoln Hwy East. ,Lancaster, PA 17602. To send an online condolence, please visit SnyderFuneralHome.com. Charles F. Snyder Jr Funeral Home & Crematory 560-5100