Lillian Rudensey

October 30, 1917 – March 25, 2016

Lillian was born in Brooklyn, NY as Elizabeth Kuritzky. The story goes that the family was afraid people would call her “Lizzie” so her name was changed to Lillian. Later, she and her siblings shortened their last name to Kurtz.  Her parents were Nathan Kuritzky, from Russia, and Tillie Kleinmann, whose ancestry was Austrian. Her siblings were Henrietta, Al, Dorothy, and twin brother Bill, all deceased. 

Lillian grew up in Far Rockaway, NY during the difficult depression era, but had fond memories of going to the beach and swimming in the ocean. She finished high school in New York, worked for a while as a secretary, and married Major Rudensey when she was 35. The couple settled in Hillsdale, New Jersey, where they raised two sons. When the children were teenagers, Lil worked as a postal clerk and occasional letter carrier for the Harrington Park, NJ post office. For a while, she commuted by moped, an example of her gutsiness. She was athletic by nature, and taught her children several sports and even wrestled with them on the beach (which never failed to draw a crowd of curious onlookers). In the 1990’s, Lillian and Major moved to Mercer Island to be near their children and grandchildren who had settled in the Seattle area.  

Lillian continued to enjoy swimming both at the Mary Wayte pool and at Luther Burbank Park or Enatai Beach, where she made a number of friends. Her husband died in 1997, and Lillian lived for many years in her own apartment on Mercer Island. Inspired by playing table tennis on an Alaska cruise she installed a ping pong table in her living room, and enjoyed playing with her sons and occasional neighbors. She also was a dedicated volunteer at the Mercer Island Thrift Shop for several years well into her 90’s. Eventually, she moved to University House Issaquah, and continued swimming in the pool there until about 6 months before her death. Many thanks to her hospice team from Kline Galland and the caring staff at University House who helped her maintain her independence to the end.

Lil was known for her strong sense of self-reliance, directness, and lively sense of humor, including the occasional bawdy story or joke.  She also had a love for animals, and used to enjoy petting the dogs and chatting with their owners at the Luther Burbank off-lease area.  

Lillian is survived by her two sons, Terry (62) and Lyle (60) and respective spouses Dori Guterson and Bob Allen, and grandchildren Matiah (27) and Ava (12). 

A memorial will be held on Sunday April 17 at 11 AM at University House Issaquah. Donations in her memory should be made to the Humane Society or The Kline Galland Foundation.