Deal Rudd - Our Living Patriarch

Our oldest living family member, our patriarch, is 70 years old as of March 6, 2001. Deal Hampton Rudd grew up on a farm just outside of Slaton, Texas where he was drafted into the U.S. Army when he was 19. He was inducted at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, and then on to Fort Hood, Texas for basic training.

Deal was trained as a tanker and served in Korea until March, 1953. He was wounded by shrapnel in the upper leg and while in the operating room awaiting surgery, he was afraid they were going to amputate his leg, he didn't want to loose his leg so he jumped up and literally hopped out of there. Because of his wounds he could have come home, but he refused and stayed to be the mail carrier. He saw more actual fighting after he was wounded than before.

He married Pansy May Blizzard in 1954 and they have three children, David Ray, 45, Lisa Gail, 41 and Pamela Jo, 39.

Deal Hampton Rudd attended divinity school at Dallas, and The Bible Baptist Seminary, then he was ordained in 1968 and pastored churches at Henderson, Carthage, Baycliff, Corpus Christi, Texas and Hoyt, Oklahoma. The last church he pastored was Comanche Texas.

He was always pleasant to be with, he cared greatly for his loved ones, and often displayed his sense of humor to anyone who would listen. Why, even when he was a kid he did some really funny things. His mom, Bertie, used to tell that on his third or fourth birthday, or possibly later, Uncle Luther bought him a little suite and a tie. Deal's birthday and Uncle's birthday were the same so Uncle always tried to get him something a little special. Sunday morning he went in the bedroom to dress for church and came out with nothing but the tie wrapped around his neck.

Deal has always been proud of the Rudd surname and those ancestors before him. He has cared for the name with honor and each of us can be proud to be a Rudd.