Robert J. Rudolph

Robert J. Rudolph, Sr. Bob Rudolph went back to God on July 21, 2012. He was preceded in death by his wife of 59 years, Mary Anne. He is survived by his son, Jerry Rudolph, daughter Catherine Rudolph, daughter Nancy DeTurk, her husband, Chris, and grandchildren Ethan and Kaya. His sister Margaret Richardson, nieces Diane Yount and Margie Krause, nephew Gary Richardson, "honorary kid" Tom Lindsey and numerous cousins, friends, and relatives are also important in his life and memory. The family would like to thank Dad's cousin and friend, Dick Olsen, D.D. for all of his spiritual support at the end. Bob Rudolph had enough adventures for a couple of lifetimes. Bob served his country in WW II as a sailor traveling the South Pacific. He could wax poetic about everything from the beauty of flying fish on the ocean at sunset to the concerns of a very young man in a war zone far from home. He worked as a radio operator in the US Embassy in Seoul, Korea and transmitted the encrypted message about the Chinese invasion to President Truman. He served in the Korean Military Advisory Group. His later military service included a long stint in the Army National Guard serving in a variety of roles, from Commandant of the Washington Military Academy to serving as part of the security team that brought the first Ohio Class submarine to Sub-base Bangor. After retiring from the military, he worked as a disaster response planner for the Washington Department of Emergency Management. Bob was a talented landscape photographer and writer. He was known in the family for composing doggerel poems in the style of Robert Service for friends, pets, and events. He led a Mountaineers Boy Scout Troop for several years, and liked to hike and rock climb. He and Mary Anne enjoyed traveling. They were intrigued by their journey to Central Europe just after the fall of the Berlin Wall. They loved Maine, where Mary Anne had a long family history, British Columbia and the Western United States. Bob graduated from Fresno State University in California with a degree in political science, completed Command and General Staff School and numerous post graduate programs at the University of Nevada at Reno. The family requests that donations made in memory of Robert and Mary Anne Rudolph be sent to St. Martins University Scholarship Fund, 5300 Pacific Avenue, Lacey, Washington 98503. The family would especially like to thank Dr. Eric Klein and his staff at West Olympia Internal Medicine for their outstanding care for our parents for almost two decades. Mom and Dad loved them like family. A memorial service will be celebrated at Mills and Mills in Tumwater on Friday August 10, 2012 at 2:30 PM.