Rudolf "Rudy" Martin Petrovski

Rudy Petrovski was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on Aug. 2, 1931, the son of Rudolf F. Petrovski and Marie Oberhoffer. Growing up he learned to play chess from George Koltanowski, the world blind-folded chess champion, as part of the Milwaukee parks program, and he played and hated the accordion. He graduated from Wauwatosa High School in 1949.

He earned his bachelor’s degree in economics from Lawrence University in Appleton, Wisconsin in 1953. He spent two years in the United States Army during the Korean War, fighting the war stateside on a typewriter.

Following his stint in the army, he married his college sweetheart, Sue Matthews, on Aug. 20, 1955. He joined the National Lock Company in Rockford, Illinois as a sales representative, was transferred to Levittown, Pennsylvania, Youngstown, Ohio and Cincinnati, where he was district sales manager for the company.

The family moved to Denver, Colorado in 1967 to start a franchise of Management Recruiters, one of the early executive headhunting agencies. He later became a real estate broker and sold commercial real estate in the Denver area.

Rudy was a passionate golfer, who was very proud of his five holes in one, used the English language colorfully and attracted friends with his humor and kindness.

He was preceded in death by his parents, sister Marge Euler and brothers Bob and Carl. He was much loved by his survivors, wife Sue, daughter Leslie Petrovski and her husband Mitch Gerber, son Jon Petrovski and grandsons Clint and Sam Petrovski.