John M. Rude

John Rude, Ph.D. John was the loving husband of Carol and father to Nina, and beloved John-Pop to Maddie, Delaney and Mackenzie. John is also survived by his brother Paul of Portugal. John was a 4th generation Californian, educated in Los Angeles and Geneva, Switzerland as a child. He graduated from UC Berkeley and completed a Ph.D. in radiation biology at the University of London. He was a cancer research scientist by training and a researcher at heart. He would research anything, from the best food storage containers to the best charcoal BBQs. He was a lover of classical music, bridge, travel, gelato, and Persian cats. Memories from the Brody girls: We remember hours of playing the Baby Game with John-Pop when he would visit. It was a crazy made-up game of trading babies with French names. Memories from Nina: Thank you for always trying to break through to make our relationship better. I will never forget when we went to Europe for a month in the summer to visit grandmother and had a picnic in the hills. You are the reason I learned to appreciate Ph.D's, fondue, tennis, California, roller skating, skiing and amazing salad dressing!!!! I've been thinking of you, I remember when I was little and before bed I had to give you kisses on every part of your face. Without you, I never would have discovered Fred Segal Beverly Hills and my love of working the cappuccino bar, black bottom pools, tennis, skiing, sourdough toast with butter, jelly omelets, PHD's, homemade salad dressing, fondue, spaghetti carbonara, Ribbit Restaurant, sloppy burgers at Apple Pan, and amazing vacations to Hawaii and beyond. I am so grateful that you taught me the importance of checking in to make sure you are ok, using the phone instead of texting, learning that sometimes no actually should mean yes, keeping commitments and saying I love you more often. From Carol: You were my life partner for more than 40 years. When we first met, I thought you were too intense, but that was the essence of you. You made me stronger, and I hope I softened you a bit. We struggled through job loss, family traumas and dramas, but we always said, if we had our health, we had everything. How true that was. I loved always having a vacation plan in the works. It was just 18 months ago that we took your specially designed private tour of the Italian lake district where we learned the best gelato places in every city. I watched Nina grow from a bouncy little 8-year-old girl into an amazing woman, and I have watched your granddaughters thrive as they begin to find their place in the world. We are all proud to be sharing our memories of life with your love. Donations maybe made to the American Cancer Society in John's memory. The family will announce a memorial service at a later date.