Robert Rudman

Bob was one of eight children born to Mary and Theodore Rudman and was the fifth of seven sons born in South Chicago, IL. A sister, not the youngest of the siblings, was born in upstate Michigan. Bob was born on October 29, 1928. His father was born in Croatia and immigrated to America, in 1905. His mother was also of Croatian heritage, but was born in Chicago. At the age of eight, Bob's parents moved to SW Michigan and later, to upstate Manistee County - the latter rural area for some 20 memorable years and long enough to call home. All seven sons joined the military, following their high school graduation. The two oldest, having joined the U.S. Navy, in 1938, survived several battles in the SW Pacific, during World War II. Bob graduated from high school, in 1946, and received a Navy scholarship to attend (then) Michigan State College. His four years there were split by four years of military service, flying twin-engine patrol planes for the Navy, operating out of Virginia and the Panama Canal Zone. Bob left the Navy, in 1952, as a Patrol Plane Commander and with the rank of LT (jg). Having completed college, in 1954, with a degree in Civil Engineering, Bob joined the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in Portland, OR. During the next 30 years, he was actively involved in the construction management of five hydroelectric dams in Oregon, Montana, and Washington. While working on his first dam project (Hills Creek Dam near Oakridge, OR) he met and married Lenore Levig of Bonners Ferry, ID. Sons, Alan and Norman, and daughter, Susan, were born during this 15 year union. While working as Resident Engineer on his last dam project, (expansion of dam and powerhouse at Chief Joseph Dam near Bridgeport, WA) he met and married Karen Schroder of Bridgeport, WA, adding Karen's son, Rick, and daughters, Debra and Lori, to the updated family tree. As federal hydro dam construction in the Northwest came to a lull in the 1980's, Bob was assigned to managing the construction of the high West Seattle Bridge. That very essential project was completed in 1983, restoring convenient arterial linkage between Seattle and West Seattle. Bob retired from the Corps of Engineers in 1984, but soon returned to construction management for Art Anderson Associates of Bremerton, WA. Over a period of nine years, he typically led onsite management staffs for the construction of the large Food and Drug Administration's laboratory north of Bellevue, WA, and for the interior demolition and modernization of the ten story Old Federal Building in downtown Seattle, WA. Bob and wife, Karen, both retired from their respective professions in the spring of 1993, having lived in Bellevue for 30 years before relocating to East Wenatchee, WA, in 2011. Arrangements are by Chapel of the Valley, East Wenatchee, WA.

Robert Rudman

October 29, 1928 - November 23, 2020