Doctor David R. Rudy

Dad was born on October 19, 1934, in Columbus, Ohio. He was the third of five children of Robert and Lois (Arthur) Rudy, all of whom were delivered at home by their grandfather Dr. Frank T. Rudy. The family moved from the West Side of Columbus to Grandview Heights. He attended the Columbus Boychoir School for a few years, and then in 1952 graduated from Grandview High School after receiving the Agonis Club’s Scholar Athlete award.

At The Ohio State University, he was pledged into the Beta Theta Pi fraternity and ultimately received his MD in 1960. His medical career was long and varied. Board certified in Family Practice, he provided direct patient care for many years, and then in 1975 he was the virtual founding director of the new Family Practice residency at Riverside Methodist Hospital. After that he directed Family Practice residency programs in Jeannette, Pennsylvania (Monsour Medical Center) and Grosse Pointe, Michigan (Bon Secour Hospital); slipped in an MPH degree; served as Professor and Chairman of the Department of Family and Preventive Medicine at Chicago Medical School; was the endowed Pomerene Professor of Family Medicine at The Ohio State University 1995-1997; and then went back to the Chicago Medical School until 2007. At that time he returned to Delaware, Ohio, where he lived with his beloved wife, Rose Mary, and worked back at Riverside Methodist Hospital under Ohio Health in occupational medicine. Following that activity, he entered addiction medicine in the Mary Haven system and other organizations for nine years, part time, finally retiring February 26, 2020.

In 1957, he married Molly Gosnell. Together they had three kids: Doug and Steve Rudy, and Kathy (Rudy) Hoffer. They divorced in 1970. He and Rose Mary Sims were married in 1981. His step-son by Rose Mary is Hunter Elam.

In 2004, Dad was chosen by colleagues as a Top Family Doctor in both Chicago Magazine 2004 and Columbus Monthly 2010. People often spoke highly of Dad’s engaging “bedside manner.” He truly cared about his patients and gave them the time they needed, even if that made things get a bit behind. And long after his workday ended, he would think about patients who were in particularly difficult situations. Additionally, he would always pick up the phone for us at any hour of the night when we’d call for medical attention (or any other reason).

Wherever he lived, he found ways to volunteer and to offer pro bono work at various clinics. He even participated in high-altitude Spanish-speaking medical missions in his later years.

Dad published 35 scientific articles and the textbook Family Medicine: House Office Series with Dr. Kurt Kurowski, and coauthored 3 editions of Family Medicine Q & A (2001 through 2012).

Dad placed a high value on family ties and genealogy. For a number of decades, four generations were able to spend Thanksgiving together at his brother Jack’s house, always burning off extra calories with a 3-generation game of touch football (affectionately known as the Turkey Bowl). Also, he and his dad poured countless hours of research into publishing a book, An American Ancestry: Rudy, Sale, Arthur, Phillips: Ancestors in the British Isles, Germany, New England, Pennsylvania, and Virginia—to Ohio, tracing the family lineage back for to the 1600’s and earlier.

Vacations and family days with Dad were always spent sailing, whether in the Cape Cod area, the Great Lakes, Chesapeake Bay, the Bahamas, or Hoover Reservoir. He was an adventurous (or foolhardy?) sailor, not turning back for Nantucket fog, stormy seas, or tornado warnings. And he rarely made us a dinner that didn’t include some hot, juicy slices of Spam.

Dad really enjoyed learning foreign languages and then traveling to use them. He especially excelled in German and Spanish, but he was also able to hear and speak a bit of Mandarin Chinese. He even practiced medicine in Spanish in the faculty clinic at Chicago Medical School.

Dad passed along to us kids his love and appreciation for music, especially folk and classical. He loved to sing and harmonize, and he played piano quite well—especially Beethoven’s sonatas. When we kids were little, we called classical music “headache music,” but now we love it and are grateful for his influence.

He was a past member of the Columbus Maennerchor, the Maenner Gesang Verein of Kenosha, Wisconsin; numerous medical organizations; and the Mensa Society.

In addition to Beethoven, other “heroes” of his included Winston Churchill and Thomas Jefferson. He was a proud member of the Sons of the American Revolution, The Mayflower Society, and Civil War organizations. He was proud to be an American, and after his internship at Northwestern Hospital in Chicago (then Chicago Wesley Memorial), being militarily draftable (the Cold War finally settling down but still active), he offered himself and entered the Air Force and served to the rank of captain as a flight surgeon in flight testing at Wright Patterson AFB, 1961-1963. Decades later he re-entered the USAF as an Air National Guard medical officer and flight surgeon. He was a clinic commander in the Michigan Air National Guard until he transferred to the Ohio Air National Guard medical unit. He served from then until he retired at the rank of colonel in 2001.

Some of Dad’s awards included the Air Force Commendation Medal, the Air Force Achievement Award, and the National Defense Service Medal.

His grandkids called him “Train Grandpa” when they were young, because he had a fabulous LGB train set up on their third level.

Finally, Dad had a wonderful sense of humor and would regularly crack up at something that struck his funny bone. He was a stickler for proper grammar (both in speaking and in writing), proper manners, and a proper respect toward elders. He was also an avid OSU Buckeye fan.

In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by siblings John (Jack) Rudy, James (Jim) Rudy, sister-in-law Ellen Beam Rudy, and Carolyn (Sis) Jensen. Surviving him are his wife, Rose Mary Elam Rudy; kids Doug (Debbie) Rudy, Steve (Linda) Rudy, Kathy (Phil) Hoffer, and Hunter (Jessica) Elam; grandkids Beth Williamson, Michael (Taryn) Rudy, Steven (Emily) Rudy, Jake (Renee) Hoffer, Molly (Alex) Nathans, Steffie and Katie Rudy; great-grandkids Eldon, Ada, and Hudson Williamson; Cora and Karsten Rudy; Ezra and Isaac Rudy; James, Rosie, and Elliot Hoffer; and Indie Nathans; brother Ted Rudy; sisters-in-law Nancy Rudy and Joyce Rudy, and brother-in-law Dan Jensen; and many, many beloved nieces, nephews, cousins, and beyond.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a (tax-deductible) donation to Motts Military Museum: 5075 S. Hamilton Rd / Groveport, Ohio 43125-9336 / Phone: (614) 836-1500

https://mottsmilitarymuseuminc.com/funding#f6f333fe-5992-45e3-9435-2213ca3e633a

[email protected]

Celebration of Life to be held Monday, June 30, at the Spring Hollow Lodge at Sharon Woods, 1069 W Main St, Westerville, OH 43081; visit starting at 9:30am; service at 10:00 am; very light refreshments provided; informal dress.