Ruth C. Rudy

1938 - 2025

Ruth C Rudy (Corman)

January 3, 1938 - March 28, 2025

Centre Hall, Pennsylvania - Ruth Corman Rudy, an accomplished politician and trailblazing role model for women in leadership from Centre Hall, PA, passed on March 28, 2025, at the age of 87 years. As a dedicated public figure, Ruth passionately sought to enhance her local communities and residents' well-being and nationally used her political leadership to strive for equal opportunities for Women. She was equally focused on building strong family relationships, creating lasting traditions and always prioritizing her days to be present and supportive at every event from weddings to graduations, showers, reunions, school sports, and church activities for her large extended family. Ruth was visited and surrounded by these loving family members in her final days and as she peacefully passed at Centre Care in Bellefonte, Pa.

Ruth Alice Corman Rudy was born in Millheim, Pa. on January 3, 1938 in the family farm house to Orvis E. Corman and Mable Jane Stover Corman. She was the youngest of ten children.

She graduated in 1955 from the Penns Valley Area High School, where she served as Class President, Class Secretary, and a member of the Student Council. She also was a cheerleader, pitcher for the softball team, basketball player and a member of the May Day Court.

She became a certified Radiological Technician from Carnegie Institute in 1956 with the highest GPA of the class and attended the Pennsylvania State University.

She lived and worked in Cleveland, Ohio for several years before moving back to Central Pennsylvania

She married C. Guy Rudy (now deceased) on November 23rd, 1956, in the former Evangelical United Brethren Church in Millheim and together they had the following children: Douglas Guy Rudy, now deceased (Cindye) of Centre Hall, Donita Ruth Rudy married to Tom Schmidt of Spring Mills, and Dianna Faith Rudy of Enola. Another daughter Donna Ruth Rudy died in infancy. Three grandchildren also survive, Kevin Rudy (Fay) of Centre Hall, Laura Fragassi (Matt) of Centre Hall, and Ashton Koval of Spring Mills. Also surviving are four great grandchildren, Callie Ann, Kenzie Ruth and Miley Ray Rudy of Centre Hall and Cooper Douglas Fragassi of Centre Hall.

She was preceded in death by her parents, spouse and brothers: Gervis, Robert, Orvis, Randall, Ray, and Lewis and sisters: Maebelle Alters, Vivian Immel and Meriam Dreibelbis. She is survived by over 150 nieces and nephews.

She was employed by the Bell telephone Company as a service Representative and the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, before becoming an elected official. In the Department of Agriculture she worked as a Rural Development Coordinator and then as the Legislative Director.

Before becoming politically active, she served as treasurer for the Centre Area Health Council, board member for the Child Development Council of Centre County, and was one of original board members of the Penns Valley Health and Welfare Association that raised money to build what was previously the Penns Valley Medical Center.

She was elected Centre County Prothonotary in 1975, being the first woman elected to a county row office in her own right-that is not being appointed to fill a position or replacing her husband. She served in that position through1982.

She served the 171st District as a member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives from 1982 through 1996. In her first term, she was one of two Democratic women and four Republican women in the 203 member body. There was only one woman Pennsylvania state senator out of a 50 member body at that time. While a member of the Pennsylvania House, she served as Vice Chair of the Agriculture and Rural affairs Committee, chaired the Central Pennsylvania Caucus, served on the board of the Pennsylvania Commission for Women, authored eleven bills that became law and was instrumental in promoting improvements to the Route 322 highway. For a number of years, she chaired a state wide organization named the Penn Ag Democrats. She was also as a board member of the Pennsylvania College of Technology for several years.

In 1996 she ran for Congress from the 5th Congressional District as the Democratic nominee.

In 1997 she served the Democratic National Institute of Washington, DC. as a representative to Yemen.

Very active in Democratic Politics she served in many capacities as follows:

Elected member of the Democratic National Committee for 28 years, where she chaired the Women's Caucus and was a four-year member of the DNC executive committee.

President of the National Federation of Democratic Women 1987-1989, she was honored by this Organization as Woman of the year in 2004. Her papers during that time period have been entered into the Library of Congress.

She led the Pennsylvania Federation of Democratic Women as their President from 1985-1987, where she was Woman of the Year in1982 Outstanding Woman Elected Official, 1992 and received the Sen. Jeanette Riebman Outstanding Woman of Pa. Award, in 2007.

In 2003, she served Governor Rendell as a member of his Transition Team.

She attended every Democratic National Convention since 1972 through 2012 and served as a delegate nine times; 1980, 1984, 1988, 1992, 1996, 2000, 2004, 2008 and 2012. Two of the hats that she designed and wore at these conventions are stored for perpetuity in the Smithsonian National Museum of History in Washington, DC.

Locally she received the Centre County Living Legend Award, category of elected official, 2002, Pa Association of Conservation Districts' Legislator Award.1996 and the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Centre County Democratic Committee, 2011.

In 1994 she received patent from the Patent and Trademark OFFICE of the U. S. Department of Commerce for her invention of a device to shield the face while applying hair spray. She manufactured and sold the device for some time and appeared on QVC's National Network in 1996 promoting and selling the shield.

For many years, she was a columnist for the Centre Daily Times and combined some of her writings into a book entitled Reflections of My Life in the Valley.

She and her husband were major benefactors of the Penns Valley Area Museum Association and the Rudy-Corman Building in Aaronsburg is named after them. They also donated the electronic sign for the Grace United Methodist Church in Centre Hall.

She enjoyed traveling and along with her husband visited every state in the United States, every Province in Canada, and all seven Continents which included over 75 foreign countries.

Swimming was a favorite sport of hers and in the summer she swam daily in the family pool and also daily during the winter months in Florida. Additionally, in the winter months in Florida she painted oil landscapes.

She was a charter member of the Grace United Methodist Church in Centre Hall when it merged with three other congregations over 50 years ago. Previous to that, she was a member of the Evangelical United Brethren Church in Centre Hall. In the past she served as a Sunday School teacher, on the Pastor-Parish Relations Committee and a representative to the Centre Hall Council of Churches. She was one of two women to be the first to serve communion in the church in an era when only men served in that capacity.

A viewing will be held on Wednesday, April 2, 2025, from 10am to 12pm at the Grace United Methodist Church in Centre Hall. A funeral service will immediately follow at 12 noon at the church with the Rev. Sandra Kraft officiating. Ruth will be laid to rest privately next to her husband at Centre County Memorial Park in State College.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to the Grace United Methodist Church of Centre Hall,16828 or the Penns Valley Area Historical Museum Assoc. P. O. Box 80, Aaronsburg, Pa. 16820

Arrangements have been entrusted to Barbara Daughenbaugh Funeral Home, Inc of Centre Hall. To share memories and condolences online, please visit daughenbaughs.com.