Dr. Rudolph C. Zernzach

Dr. Rudolph C. Zernzach DDS, age 92, passed away peacefully in the presence of family members on the evening of November 24, 2024, at his residence in Omro, WI. "Rudy" was born on May 26, 1932, in Oshkosh, WI, the son of John and Violet (Witt) Zernzach. Rudy's first wife, Joyce A. Bichler, mother of his oldest son, Randall, passed away suddenly in 1962. Rudy was later blessed with a marriage to Anne K. Haanen, of Green Bay, WI, on February 1, 1964, with whom they shared four additional children, Matthew, Frances, Margaret, and Peter. Rudy's family was truly the joy of his life.

After growing up in Oshkosh and graduating from Oshkosh High School in 1950, Rudy attended college at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh. He later enlisted in the US Navy, serving as a dental corpsman, from 1953 to 1955. Rudy thoroughly enjoyed his time in military service, often sharing stories of his youthful exploits well into his retirement years. Dentistry, however, became his life-time vocation as he then returned from Naval service to complete his undergraduate requirements and attend Marquette University Dental School, graduating in 1960.

Rudy practiced dentistry in Omro and Winneconne for over 40 years. This limited space could not contain a proper accounting of the many lives he blessed over the years, nor the list of friends he accumulated. Rudy was highly sought after for his excellence in dental care as patients traveled to see him from all over the state of Wisconsin and beyond. Generations of family members received kind and compassionate care from him for decades. Fillings he placed in the teeth of his own children are still firm and secure, even after 50 years! Very few dentists could make that claim. Rudy was a true artisan with a drill and scaler.

Rudy lived life to the fullest and had an unending list of interests and hobbies, which included anything with his family, sailing, fishing, hunting, yardwork, skiing, long road trips, and even finding solutions to engineering challenges such as his creation of a unique "mast-stepping device" to help raise the large mast of a catamaran-type sailboat by a solo sailor.

Rudy will always be loved and missed by his living children, Dr. Randall and Christine Zernzach and their children, Tess (husband Ben) and Kate, of Anchorage, Alaska; Frances and Daniel McCarthy and their children Jake (wife Monika, great-grandchildren Parker and Noa), Grace (husband Brian), and Claire, of Aurora, Illinois; Margaret and Robert Perich and their children, Leo and Madeleine, of Phoenix, Arizona; and Peter and Angie Zernzach, and their children Zoey and Addy, of Omro. Rudy is survived by his sisters, Gloria (Hank) Farr, Virginia, Victoria (Grant) Bayer, New Jersey, Violet Metz, of Maryland and numerous nieces, nephews, and grand-nieces and grand-nephews. Rudy was preceded in death by his wife, his parents, his wife, Anne (2009), a son, Matthew James Zernzach (1993), his brother, Douglas Zernzach (2008), and his sisters, Lois Gaines (2012) and Patricia Boyd (2016).

A Mass of Chistian Burial is planned for 11 a.m., Saturday, May 31, at St Mary's Catholic Church in Omro. Rudy will be laid to rest next to Anne and Matthew at Sacred Heart Cemetery on Sunday, June 1 at 1 p.m.

In lieu of flowers, memorials in Rudy's name may be directed to the Tunnel to Towers Foundation, T2T.org.

The family would like to thank all the staff and providers at Country Villa in Omro and St Croix Hospice for their untiring and exceptional care.

To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.

Published by The Winneconne News from Dec. 4 to Dec. 31, 2024.