Former Sun Valley mayor, 89, passes away at home
By Eric Valentine
Her name was synonymous with leadership, and that served as the perfect homonym for a life that put her community before herself. Former Sun Valley Mayor Ruth Lieder died in her Saddle Road condominium of natural causes last week, after taking a walk with her dog. She was 89.
Lieder was more than just a familiar name and face around the Valley. After successfully promoting the Sun Valley Resort to attract more and higher-profile guests, she ran for and served a term as a Sun Valley city council member. Lieder was then appointed mayor upon the resignation of Dick Hegman. She held the city’s top position for three terms, from 1981 to 1994.
Although her political footprint was large, there was no area of Valley life that Lieder left untouched. From volunteering (The Hunger Coalition, The Gold Mine, and more) to fundraising (YMCA, Sun Valley Center for the Arts, hospitals, animal shelters and more), Lieder significantly and permanently impacted the modern-day development of this Valley.
But perhaps it was the slightly under-the-radar roles Lieder performed that she may be remembered for the most. In an article by Eye on Sun Valley about Lieder’s nomination to the 2015 Heritage Court—the Valley tradition of honoring up to four matriarchs at the annual Fourth of July celebrations—the then-83-year-old reminisced about her days at the resort holding a firewall between tabloid reporters and celebrities, many of whom came there to file for divorce. And others, who came to enjoy everything else the Valley had to offer, befriended her, too. The Hemingways, the Kennedys, Clint Eastwood, and Gregory Peck are just some of the big names Lieder had kind words for.
Born in 1931 in New Jersey, Lieder was the second of three children. In 1953 she graduated from Smith College in Massachusetts with a degree in political science. Her first job was an “office girl” position for Time, Inc., in New York City. By the 1960s, Lieder began working for Sports Illustrated, where for nearly 20 years she did marketing and journalism. All that paved the way for her to launch Nothing’s Impossible—her PR firm named after some words of wisdom her father expressed to her in her youth—and then later land her role with Sun Valley Resort.
Rubbing elbows with celebrities did not make Lieder lose her down-to-earth qualities that could be seen in her lifelong love of dogs, especially golden retrievers—a breed she had owned multiple times. Lieder passed around 10:15 p.m. Monday, shortly after walking her dog.
“I’ve worked like a dog after coming to Sun Valley, but I loved it,” she said in the 2015 article. “I’ve had a fabulous life.”
Information about services were unavailable before press deadline Tuesday. For more information, contact Wood River Chapel at (208) 788-2244.