Stanley Whitten Rusk III

1934 - 2023

Stanley Whitten ("Whit") Rusk, III
Stanley Whitten Rusk, III died peacefully at the age of 88 at Greenwich Hospital in Connecticut on April 29, 2023, with his family by his side. He was a beloved husband, father, grandfather, brother, uncle, and friend. Known as Whit, he was regarded as a kind and quietly wonderful man, with a wry sense of humor and a tale for every occasion. While successful in many ways he never sought the spotlight, rather took the greatest pleasure in helping make family and friends shine.
Whit was born on October 18, 1934, in Haddonfield, New Jersey to Elizabeth Moore Rusk and Stanley Whitten Rusk, Jr. He attended Haddonfield High School. In 1956, Whit graduated from Wesleyan University in Middletown, CT, where he was a member of the Chi Psi Fraternity. Although he could throw a perfect spiral with either hand, his Wesleyan football career ended after breaking his arm during his freshman year.
After Wesleyan, Whit entered Naval Officer's Candidate School in Newport, RI, with subsequent postings in Pensacola, FL and Norfolk, VA. In December 1957, as a dashing lieutenant, Whit met his future wife, Pat Lawder, daughter of Captain Hervey C. and Julia Marsh Lawder. Showing his strategic prowess, he quickly won the support of Pat's mother and grandmother and outmaneuvered his competition. Whit and Pat were married in January 1959. After six-years' service culminating in Naval Intelligence in Washington, DC and following the birth of their children, he and his family moved to Tarrytown, NY, where they all created lifelong relationships. Professionally, Whit began his career in finance and rose through the corporate and trust departments for Bankers Trust Company in New York City. In 1979, he and Pat relocated to Houston where Whit helped to build the Corporate Trust Department for First City National Bank and in the Southwest for JP Morgan Chase. Whit and Pat retired to St. Simons Island, GA in 2003, where he was a member of the Hampton Club and treasurer of both the Hampton HOA Board and the Golden Isles Duplicate Bridge Club. Whit loved bridge and golf and had a deft ability to make 3 N.T. or get up and down for 4 net 3.
Above all, he cherished his family, especially their time together at his favorite spot in the world, "Noisy Brook," the family's rustic great camp deep in the North Woods of Maine. No length of rutted road or choppy seaplane ride kept him from getting there as often as he could. He had the extraordinary patience and dexterity to repair almost anything in "camp," with the possible exception of the player piano. A quote from "As You Like It" that stands on the fireplace mantle voiced his perspective: "And this our life, exempt from public haunt, finds tongues in trees, books in the running brooks, sermons in stones, and good in everything. I would not change it."
He is survived by his wife, Patricia Lawder Rusk; his two children Julia Elizabeth Rusk (Frank Kosa) of Santa Monica, CA and Robert Garrett Rusk (Dr. Alice Hampton Rusk) of Greenwich, CT; five grandchildren: Matthew Janos Rusk-Kosa, Kathryn Patrice Rusk-Kosa, William Garrett Rusk, Scott Whitten Rusk and Robert Hampton Rusk; two sisters Gwendolyn Rusk Canfield and Mary Rusk Campbell; and many cousins, nieces, and nephews.
The family expresses their sincerest gratitude to the wonderful medical professionals and caregivers who supported Whit over the last several years including from Southeast Georgia Health System - Brunswick, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Greenwich Hospital, and at home on St. Simons Island.
We will celebrate Whit's life on Saturday, June 24th at 11am in the Sanctuary of the First Presbyterian Church of Haddonfield, located at 20 East Kings Highway, Haddonfield, NJ.
Donations, in lieu of flowers, may be made to SE Georgia Health Foundation- Speech Rehabilitation (2415 Parkwood Drive, Brunswick, GA 31520) or Maine Audubon (20 Gilsland Farm Road, Falmouth, Maine 04105) in memory of Whit Rusk.