William Rude

William Rude

William "Bill" Alva Rude, 87, a resident of Anne Arundel County and Ben Oaks, Severna Park, since 1958, died September 17 peacefully at Severna Park Genesis Health Care.
Born in Iola, Kansas on April 14, 1925 to Alva Oscar Rude and Viva Ethel Patton Rude, Bill attended school in Parsons, Kansas. After graduating from Parsons High School in 1943, he joined the U.S. Army Air
Forces with the 487th Bomb Group of the 8th Air Force. As a Staff Sergeant, he flew 18 missions over German occupied Europe as a nose gunner and bomb togglier in a B17 Flying Fortress. Upon discharge in 1945, he returned to Parsons to attend Parsons Junior College, where he met Jean Marie Ledbetter. After graduation, they married in 1947 and continued their college education at Oklahoma A & M University in Stillwater, Oklahoma. Upon graduation in 1950 with a B.S. degree in mechanical engineering, Bill worked for Sheffield Steel in Kansas City, Missouri on the design of the rotating stage for the Starlight Theater. He then was employed by Westinghouse Electric in Kansas City in the Steam Turbine Division. From the Kansas City division, he was transferred to Westinghouse in Sunnyvale, California, where he worked on the design of the launcher for the Polaris missile. In 1958, he was transferred to Westinghouse at (Friendship) BWI, where he worked with radar and the design of AWAC radar. After retiring from Westinghouse in 1988, he and Jean purchased a motor home and traveled through almost every state in the U.S., taking some of their children back and forth to Missouri and Kansas for college and spending winters in Mission, Texas.
Bill was a lifetime member of the Christian Church, an active member of the Arundel Christian Church, Glen Burnie, and was also active in local Republican politics. He enjoyed travel, especially attending the reunions with his 487th Bomb Group, including a trip in 1995 back to the old air base in Lavenham, England.
Bill is survived by his wife of 65 years, Jean; six children, Kathryn and her husband Dr. Gary Parker of Columbia, Missouri, Renee Saunders of Norman, Oklahoma, Laramie and husband Robert Daniel of Glen Burnie, Janette and husband Steve Levie of Hertford, North Carolina, William and wife Angela of Preston and Jonathan and wife Joanna of Leander, Texas; sister, Eleanor E. Green; ten grandchildren, Drury Megan and husband Greg Moyers, Joe Parker, Justa and husband Danny Mayorga, Jeff and wife Candise Saunders, Kara and husband Matt Tryon, Charlie and Will Daniel, and Matt, Josh & Caleb Rude; five great-granddaughters, Nora Mayorga, Cassidy Saunders, Ella and Amelia Tryon, and Ann Marie Moyers; nephew, Rusty and wife Marilyn Green of Bristol, Indiana; and niece, Gayle Farrar of Accident.
Cremation arrangements were handled by the Cremation Society of Maryland, Inc. The family is planning a memorial service to be held 4 p.m., October 27 at the Arundel Christian Church,
710 Aquahart Road, Glen Burnie. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be sent to the Arundel Christian Church, It's Your Move Vision/Renovation Campaign, 710 Aquahart Road, Glen Burnie, MD 21061