After celebrating 60 years of their parent’s marriage in June last year, the daughters of two medical professionals looked back on their unique contributions to the Yuba-Sutter community over the years.
Dr. Victor Savage and Linda Savage, a dentist and registered nurse respectively, dedicated much of their careers to serving others in the area and ensuring that proper care was given to the best of their abilities.
“The funny thing about our parents was that they got married, had four children and then thought, ‘Oh, we should get a college degree to help raise these kids,’” said Claudia Roninger, the couple’s oldest daughter.
After graduating high school, Victor Savage enlisted in Beale Air Force Base where he met Linda who was working at her parent’s restaurant on base. They were married on June 30, 1963.
The couple’s second daughter, Amber Thomas, said that it took them many years to go back to school for their individual degrees. Victor Savage worked several different jobs while on track to becoming a dentist, including a truck driving for a logging company, operating heavy machinery on the Trans-Alaskan Pipeline and selling shoes.
“My dad decided he wanted to go back to school. The shoe business and freezing to death in Alaska not being something he wanted to do with the rest of his life,” Thomas said.
Victor Savage enrolled in Yuba College to earn his associate’s degree. By the time Roninger was in high school, Linda Savage obtained her certification to become a Licensed Vocational Nurse while working as a certified nursing assistant, and Victor Savage earned a scholarship to attend University of California, Berkeley.
“They were hard working people, and my mom supported him the entire time,” Thomas said.
After finishing dental school, Victor Savage began his practice alongside Hal and Joy Noal in Yuba City. He later went on to start his own private practice on Live Oak Boulevard in Yuba City, Thomas said.
Once he was established in his field, Linda Savage was able to go back to school to become a registered nurse and administrator for Fremont Rideout Hospital in Yuba City and Avdentist Health/Rideout Hospital in Marysville. Thomas said that Linda Savage worked primarily in the intensive care unit while at Fremont Rideout and in the emergency room while working in Adventist Health/Rideout.
While working at Fremont Rideout, Linda Savage was instituted the first rape kit program for the Yuba-Sutter area. Prior to this, victims of sexual assault could coordinate resources locally, but had to undergo the rape kit process at a center in Sacramento, Roninger said.
Victor Savage went on to provide dental care to local families who were unable to afford it, Thomas said. This practice eventually took him to Tanzania in east Africa where he helped lay the foundations of the Samaritan Village Orphanage, she said.
Before retiring, Victor Savage went on to serve as president of the Butte Sierra District Dental Society and president of the Dental Schools Alumni Association, she said.
Starting in 2012, the couple spent over 10 years enjoying retirement together until Linda Savage’s passing on Dec. 22, 2022.
“My parents worked hard, went back to school and both became very successful in their careers and contributed to this community for over 50 years. I just wanted to salute my mom and dad for all their achievements. They worked hard to get there,” Thomas said.
Roninger believes that her parents and the work they have done for the community serve as a testament to achieve personal goals and foster good values.
“Between the two of them, they had these amazing degrees and raised amazing children. It’s never too late to follow your dreams,” she said.
