Rudolph (Rudy) Frank Resnik, 81, of Burlington, died Aug. 2, 2002, at Skagit Valley Hospital.
He was born Oct. 25, 1920, in the township of Beaver Dam, Mo., to John and Frances (Strenfel) Resnik who had emigrated from then Austria-Hungary some 20 years earlier. He was the eleventh of 13 children.
Rudy was a member of St. Cyril’s of Jerusalem Catholic Church in Encino, Calif., before moving to Burlington. He was raised in Poplar Bluff, Mo., through the devotion of his sisters and father after losing his mother as a toddler. He graduated from Poplar Bluff High School in 1940 and moved to Los Angeles, Calif., in 1941 to work for Lockheed. He married his high school sweetheart and the love of his life, Doris, July 5, 1941. Rudy joined the U.S. Army in 1944 and served with the occupation forces in Germany. Together Rudy and Doris raised two daughters in Sherman Oaks, Calif. In June of 2001 when his failing health suggested they move to be closer to their daughter, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren, Rudy and Doris moved to Washington.
Rudy spent his entire life fixing things. He could fix anything. Not always in the most conventional way, but the item would produce its required function a trait he has passed on to his grandsons. He worked his way up from auto mechanic to service manager, and then general manager of the largest Chrysler dealership in Los Angeles at the time. Rudy never knew a stranger nor was he one to ever utter an unkind word. He lived his life with smiles and laughter, always striving to not inconvenience anyone. As movement and speech became more difficult recently, the smiles and laughter remained the most uproarious brought on by the antics of his great-grandchildren. He will be enormously missed by his friends and family but his lifetime of unselfishness, positiveness and continual laughter will supply priceless memories.
He is survived by his beloved wife of 61 years, Doris (Cown) of Burlington; his daughter Susan and her husband Robert Greathouse of Oak Harbor; sister and brothers, Anna Steffan of Seal Beach, Calif., Lawrence Resnik and his wife Venita of Poplar Bluff, Mo., and Anthony Resnik and his wife Barbara of San Francisco; grandsons Christopher Greathouse and his wife Lory of Camano Island, Kevin Greathouse of Pittsburgh, Penn., and Craig Greathouse of Everett; great-grandchildren Jaclyn and Jared Greathouse of Camano Island; “the best sister-in-law ever” Millie (Stuff) Krueger of Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif.; nephews John Frische and his wife Kitty of Huntington Beach, Calif., and Fred Frische and his wife Marilyn of Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif.; and numerous nieces and nephews from California to the East Coast.
Rudy was preceded in death by his daughter Gail Ross, his parents, his twin brother Albert, three sisters and five brothers.
A celebration of Rudy’s life will be held Thursday, Aug. 8, at 1 p.m., at Kern Funeral Home in Mount Vernon, officiated by Father William Tracey of the Catholic church, retired. A reception will immediately follow the service in Kern’s social room.
