By Mark Rosman
Staff Writer
ENGLISHTOWN – Two people who served Englishtown for many years died within days of each other at the end of April.
Joyce M. Stipple, 83, who served on the Borough Council from 1983-91, died at CentraState Medical Center, Freehold Township, on April 27. Stipple was a lifelong resident of Englishtown before moving to Whiting in 2015.
Rudolph “Rudy” Rucker, 68, who served on the Borough Council for more than 30 years, died at home on April 29, just a few weeks after he resigned from the governing body.
“It was a sad two days for the borough,” Mayor Tom Reynolds said, noting that just days after learning of Stipple’s death came the news that Rucker had succumbed to an illness he had been battling.
“Councilwoman Stipple and Councilman Rucker were instrumental in steering the borough in moving from the old Borough Hall into a newer facility (the former post office),” Reynolds said. “Their input and knowledge of Englishtown will be sorely missed.”
According to an obituary from the Higgins Memorial Home, Freehold Borough, Rucker was a self-employed carpenter. He was an avid hunter and fisherman, and was a former member of the Turkey Swamp Rod and Gun Club.
Reynolds said that as a member of the council, Rucker served as the public works chair who oversaw the Department of Public Works and the construction of a new building for the DPW.
Donations in memory of Rucker may be sent to the Englishtown-Manalapan First Aid Squad, 7 Sanford St., Manalapan, NJ 07726.
