Obituary of Gerald "Bull" Rudolph

Obituary for Gerald "Bull" Rudolph 10/31/31 - 1/11/09 Woodridge, New York Gerald Rudolph, a longtime resident of Woodridge, New York, passed away at home with his family by his side on January 11, 2009. He was 77 years old. Jerry, affectionately known to most as the "Bull", was born in the Bronx, NY. He moved to Woodridge with his mother, the late Minnie Becker, in 1942. There he was a member of the Plumbers & Steamfitters Union Local 373. He worked for Morris Gold Plumbing as a young man, and later for Meyer Schachnovsky Plumbing for almost 50 years. He was an army Staff Sergeant from 1950 - 1953, stationed in Germany. He was a member of the American Legion & the Jewish War Veterans. Anyone who knew Bull knew that a conversation with him always started with a joke. His sense of humor was his trademark. If a man can be judged by how many friends he had, then Bull's value was immeasurable. He was lesser known, by choice, for his constant desire to help those he cared about, most often as anonymously as possible. However, if you needed him for anything, you called Bull. Though his knees rendered him incapable of doing much physically over the past few years, he found contentment fishing off the piers in Florida where they spent their winters, with his legs up, more often than not coming up empty, but according to him, using the time to "solve the problems of the world." Jerry is survived by his beloved wife of 52 years, Shirley Feldman Rudolph, his daughter & son-in-law, Sharon & Stephen Gardell; his grandson Blake Kilcoin of Woodridge; & his wonderful extended family Granddaughter Heather Kilcullen and her husband Tommy of Marlboro, NJ; Grandson Stephen Gardell and his wife Josephine of Staten Island, NY, and Great grandchildren Cassandra, Griffin and Marasia, and his former son-in-law John Kilcoin, with whom he remained very close. Jerry was predeceased by his daughter Melanie in 1995 and his mother, Minnie Becker. The family would like to express their heartfelt appreciation to Dr. Dinsmore, Padma, Lynn & Kathy, and all of the wonderful people affiliated with Hospice of Orange & Sullivan Counties. Memorial Contributions can be made to Hospice of Orange & Sullivan Counties. Funeral services will be held at the Joseph N. Garlick Funeral Home, 388 Broadway, Monticello, New York on Tuesday, January 13, 2009 at 12:00 p.m., Rabbi Irving H. Goodman officiating. Burial will take place immediately after at the Workmen's Circle Cemetery in Glen Wild, New York. The family will be sitting Shiva at the home of Shirley Rudolph in Woodridge, New York. Funeral arrangements by Joseph N. Garlick Funeral Home, Monticello, New York. For directions or to send the family a condolence note visit, our website at www.josephngarlickfuenralhome.com