Born and raised in Newton, Charles was a resident of Hampton Township for the past 32 years. He was a 1979 graduate of Newton High School. Charles was employed by the State of New Jersey Department of Transportation in Hackettstown, retiring in 2015 with 35 years of service. A life member of the Hampton Township Fire Department, Charles was also a member of the New Jersey Forest Fire Service and was a former Forest Fire Warden.
The son of the late Kenneth and Jeanne (Knoll) Rude, Charles is survived by his wife of 34 years, Susan; his daughters, Nicole Fuentes and husband, Adrian, of Stillwater and Kayla Rude of Lafayette; and his grandchildren, Adelina and Adrian, Jr. He is also survived by his sisters, Bonnie Clemmer and Deborah Romyns; his brother, Kenneth Rude; and many nieces and nephews.
Visitation will be held on Wednesday, October 7, 2020, from 5 to 8 p.m. at the Smith-McCracken Funeral Home, 63 High Street, Newton, with a Firemen’s walk-through at 7:30 p.m. A funeral service will follow at
8 p.m.
Memorial donations may be made to the Yellow Frame Presbyterian Church, 1 Yellow Frame Road, Newton, NJ 07860.