SAUK CITY - George, Ruth and their son, Craig Culver, spent the majority of their lives in the restaurant business.

For years, Highway 12 travelers and Sauk City residents could count on the Culver family to provide good food and hometown service at their A&W restaurant.

In 1984 they turned that Sauk City A&W into the first of what would become hundreds of Culver's restaurants and made the family name synonymous with ButterBurgers and frozen custard.

Ruth, who spent most of her time in the dining room greeting customers and attending to their needs, died Thursday at the age of 84.

A small, private funeral was held Monday at St. John's Evangelical Lutheran Church in Prairie du Sac, the home of the company's corporate headquarters.

Friends remembered Ruth as a caring figure who opened her arms to customers and never let them leave unhappy.

Sauk City Village President Jim Anderson said he remembered going to the Culver's A&W restaurant when he was in high school.

"Whenever you talked with Ruth, she always had the time and good things to say," he said. "Years ago, when my mom and dad lived in town, she always asked, ‘How's Mom and Dad?'"

Culver's Training Systems Manager Jody Ballweg started as a cashier and worked with the entire family at Culver's in the late 1980s. She said she remembers Ruth at the restaurant nearly every day during the eight years they worked together.

"When people walked in, she acted like she knew everybody - even if she didn't," Ballweg said. "She took time for every guest."

Her commitment to service has helped make Culver a household name in almost a third of the country.

Ballweg said Ruth developed the "image" that Culver's customers have grown accustomed to.

"She started it," Ballweg said. "Through the years and through the growth of the company, I've seen the culture stay the same ... she left a legend."

Rev. Fred Riling of St. John's Evangelical Lutheran Church in Prairie du Sac knew Ruth as a member of his church.

"You can fake a lot of stuff, but you can't fake being cared about," he said. "People knew that Ruth cared about them."

In honor of Ruth's commitment to service, Culver's created the "Ruth Award" in 2001, which is awarded to franchise partners who display exceptional hospitality.

The award is considered one of the company's most prestigious distinctions.

"Everyone in the Culver's family of restaurants feels a very deep sense of loss," Culver's Franchising Systems Inc. President and COO Phil Keiser stated in a press release issued shortly after her death. "Ruth's commitment to hospitality is something that will live on throughout our organization forever."

Anderson said he enjoys driving around the country and seeing how the franchise has expanded.

"It's fun to see them popping up all over the place," Anderson said.

There are now 388 Culver's restaurants operating in 17 states.

Prairie du Sac Village Administrator Alan Wildman said the Culver's franchise has played an important economic role in the village.

"It puts a spotlight on our community," he said. "The company also brings in a number of visitors each month through their training programs and franchise folk."

Anderson said the introduction of the ButterBurger with the opening of the first Culver's had a major impact on the company's success.

"They're the number one fast food franchise in the region for one reason - they put out a quality product," he said. "It shows what kind of people they were because they never bring an inferior product, and I think that's a reflection of their personality."

Culver's Franchise Systems Inc. recently announced it would break ground this fall on a new 46,000-square-foot office building in the new Prairie du Sac office park.

In addition to constructing the new building, the company plans to more than double its staff of 70 by employing 150 at its corporate headquarters.