Ed Rudy Wondrack

SHINGLEHOUSE, Pa. - Ed Rudy Wondrack, 93, of Shinglehouse, went to be with his beloved wife Jinny on Saturday (March 7, 2015). At the time of his passing he was surrounded by his loving family in his home.

Born July 19, 1921, in Union, N.J., he was a son of Albert and Mary Popisil Wondrack. On June 2, 1951, in Denville, N.J., he married Helen V. "Jinny" Watts, who passed away on June 23, 2011.

Ed Rudy Wondrack's father was a victim of the Prohibition era, the Roaring Twenties. After being a policeman, he became a bootlegger, made money only to lose it during the Depression of the '30s and became an alcoholic. Ed Rudy was saved from a similar fate thanks to his mother, sister and brother who managed to hold on to the family home in Union, N.J., by selling out at a loss the father's business properties in Adelphia, N.J., and Freehold, N.J., after Prohibition's repeal in 1933. He served in the U.S. Navy and Merchant Marine during World War II and studied art at the Newark School of Industrial and Fine Arts.

Ed Rudy worked at many jobs after leaving art school including commercial and industrial artist, powerhouse and construction worker, teamster, stevedore, metal inspector and landscape farmer. He was hired by an occupational therapist at Greystone Park Asylum as an art instructor where he learned firsthand about the world of the mentally ill prior to the use of tranquilizers, when physical restraints such as straight-jackets and isolation rooms were the only tools available. He is the author of a three-part saga called Ira Hook's Legacy.

Ed Rudy lived in northwest Pennsylvania with his wife of 60 years, Helen Virginia. For 39 years, he and Jinny preserved magnificent hickory trees and nurtured hundreds of young trees at Shagbark Farm in Shinglehouse. His time at sea made him dream of trees, and his time on land made him dream of the sea. Jinny was very happy he picked the trees.

Surviving are two daughters, Lillian M. Wondrack and Jan A. Healy, both of Shinglehouse; and three grandchildren, Leo E. Carpenter of Bradford, and Connie J. (Kayle) Perkins and Aidan K. Healy, both of Shinglehouse.

In addition to his parents and wife, Ed Rudy was predeceased by a sister, Lillian Garthe.

In keeping with Ed's wishes, services will be private.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Oswayo Valley Memorial Library, P.O. Box 188, Shinglehouse, PA 16748; or the Shinglehouse Volunteer Ambulance Association, P.O. Box 98, Shinglehouse, PA 16748.

Mr. Wondrack's family has entrusted his care to the Virgil L. Howard Funeral Home, Shinglehouse.

To express condolences or share a fond memory of Ed Rudy, please visit www.virgillhowardfuneralhome.com.