Charlotte Frances Rudd, 90, of Anacortes, was called home to God on Tuesday, January 3, 2023, in the presence of her loving husband, David and family.  She was a truly remarkable woman!

Charlotte, our mom, loved her husband, David, our dad, and their eight children, twenty grandchildren, seven (but soon to be eight) greatgrandchildren, and spouses and friends of her children and grandchildren. Babies were her favorites. She loved her six siblings and their families, too. Everyone was welcome in her home.

She never worried about whether there would be enough food, no matter how many people came to dinner. There would always be enough if you were on time! She managed the household budget and focused on healthy choices for our family, not extravagant ones, but that did not stop her from making delicious desserts. She made most of them from scratch - not out of a box – and they included favorites such as cream puffs, chocolate cake, and donuts. She was happy to spend her day taking care of her family, even though it was more than a full-time job!

Charlotte loved her home in Anacortes, where she lived with Dad since 1984.  She was welcoming to everyone who came to visit. She cared about her neighbors and checked in with them frequently. In her later years she continued to share many stories from her life and had an amazing memory for details, even at 90 years old.

She was born in Los Angeles in 1932, during the great depression that followed the stock market crash of 1929. She was the fifth child in a family of seven children. She met David in their senior year of high school. In those years (1940s) each grade level was divided by those born in the first 6 months and the last 6 months of the school year. Dad was in the older class and Mom was in the younger one. That year, Dad was in the same English class as Mom. After her friend pointed him out, Mom asked him to the Sadie Hawkins Dance (where girls asked the boys out). She said, "I wasn't looking for a boyfriend, but just someone to dance with" and they started going to ballroom dances on the weekends. They also both loved the beach. Dad enjoyed being part of her large family. They were married on October 6, 1950. She was 18, and he had just turned 19.

Our Mom and Dad were a team for the seventy-two years that they were married. They both supported our education and let us decide what we wanted to do. They kept us busy with tasks at home. When I was 10 years old, we moved from LA to the Owens Valley, a rural area 250 miles northeast of the city, where Dad was responsible for hydroelectric power plants. Depending on our ages, daily tasks included babysitting, washing dishes, and folding clothes (including many diapers!). We helped feed our goats, rabbits, and a lamb as well as cats and a dog. Mom taught us to sew and cook and took us on frequent trips to the small-town library. We had time to read and play.

Both of our parents enjoyed traveling - initially road trips and camping, and later cruising to see the world. Yosemite and California's beaches were among their favorite places. Our family drove to Minnesota to see Dad's cousins' multiple times, stopping to see national parks along the way. Charlotte organized the packing for all the trips so that when Dad arrived home from work, we were ready to go - no time was wasted!

In closing, please share your stories of Charlotte with us. As we mourn her passing, let us not forget how much love that she brought into our lives. We will love and miss her always.  To share memories of her: www.evanschapel.com/obituary/charlotte-rudd