He leaves his wife of 34 years, Ruth (Juetersonke) Lense; his four sons, Ernie, Karl (and Michele), Jeff, and Paul (and Laura); his eight grandchildren, Hannahlaura, Casey, Tiffany, Christopher, Mallory, Kimberly, Daniel, and Terra; and his sister Wally.
Rudy was born in Schlesien, Germany in 1934. His father, Ernest Martin, passed away while serving in WW II, leaving Rudy's mother, Marie Martin, Rudy, and his two sisters, Cathy and Wally. At age 11, Rudy and his family had to leave their town to avoid the approaching war front. Shortly after their departure, they were overtaken by the Russian army and sent back home. About one year later, they were forced to leave their home again and were placed in a railroad boxcar and taken to a refugee camp in East Germany. While there, they located relatives living in West Germany who offered them a place to stay if they could find a way to get there, which they did. From there, Rudy, his mother, and his two sisters were offered a sponsorship to the United States by William Lense, the man who ultimately married Marie and adopted her three children.
Rudy was drafted into the army in 1956 and served as a medic at Camp McCoy in Wisconsin. After receiving an honorable discharge at Fort Leonardwood in MO, he moved back to the Chicago area and began his thirty-year career as a toolmaker at International Harvester.
Rudy married Ruth Juetersonke in 1985. They lived together in Woodland Park, Colorado for 10 years and then moved to Edmond, Oklahoma where they've lived since 2001. In his earlier years, Rudy enjoyed hiking and skiing and later became a gifted gardener and woodworker who loved making special things for his family. He was a man of faith who loved the Lord, loved his family, loved a good baseball hat, and loved to joke around and make others laugh. He will be missed by many who loved him.
A funeral service will be held at 11:00am, Monday, October 21, 2019 at Baggerley Funeral Home in Edmond, Oklahoma with interment at Memorial Park Cemetery in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
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