Rudolph William Savich

Rudolph William Savich died unexpectedly but peacefully at home on Tuesday night in the company of his loving family. Rudy was an attorney in Bloomington for almost 40 years and always said he aspired to be a “country lawyer,” helping people navigate the byzantine system of the law, fighting foreclosures and creditors, and planning estates for folks who didn’t have much. He was a passionate environmental steward, aiding in the win against the PCB incinerator in the ‘90s and losing a 20-year battle to save family farms from I-69. Later in life, he became an advocate for water quality with the Friends of Lake Monroe. Rudy was born on May 31, 1955, in Chicago to Elisabeth (McNair) and Theodore Rudolph Savich and spent his formative years in Rensselaer, Indiana, with his three older sisters: Marge Thrasher, who preceded him in death, and his surviving sisters Susan White (James) of Bloomington and Paula Savich of Charlotte, North Carolina. He graduated from Rensselaer Central High School in 1973. He was a conscientious objector and remained an absolute pacifist for his entire life, saving his strongest expletives for describing the idiocy of war. He moved to Bloomington to attend Indiana University, where he studied psychology and mathematics. Rudy is survived by his wife Elizabeth “Bet” Dougherty Savich and two children, Rachel Oser (Phil) of Bloomfield and Theodore “Tio” Savich (Mallory Cohn) of Bloomington. He was completely moonstruck when he met Bet at IU. They married in August 1977, the same year he began studying at Mauer School of Law. Rudy and Bet also started an organic farm on Boltinghouse Road where they raised hogs, produce, and their children. After the family moved to town, Rudy began a career as an endurance athlete. He swam, ran 19 marathons, rode his bicycle from Pensacola to Bloomington, and criss-crossed the state north to south and west to east on his bicycle for various charities. He found peace in pushing his body over long hauls. After Rachel and Tio flew the coop, Rudy and Bet moved out to Lake Monroe, where they remodeled a junky old cabin into a perfect spot to watch “bird TV.” Rudy and Bet collected birdsongs, wildflowers, and mushrooms together on long hikes and kayak trips with their dog Pokey. Whether canoeing with friends down Sugar Creek with a cooler of Budweiser or diluting Wild Turkey with cool water from an ancestral spring, Rudy never separated his appreciation for nature’s beauty from his own search for meaning and fun. Rudy called himself a “closet Christian,” choosing Matthew 6:6, where Jesus says you ought to pray in your closet, as the orienting principle of his faith. Following his own creed, he kept his religion to himself, but lifted his voice in joyful song, worshiping at the Church of Love in the Spirit of Fun, singing the Grateful Dead, bluegrass, hymns, and Irish ballads with verve and splendor. He named his guitar “Sweetie,” and it had a warm tone that matched his spirit. That warmth was reflected in the many friendships he cherished. A funeral will be held on Monday, May 13 at noon at the Sycamore shelter of Lower Cascades Park. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Friends of Lake Monroe.