Obituary for Henry R. Rolufs
Henry R."Hank" Rolufs, son of the late Hertha and Henry Rolufs, died peacefully at ORMC May 13, 2013 after two years of illness and cancer therapy. He was born in Brooklyn, NY on September 5, 1935, and as a child endured a near-fatal accident to his legs and was never expected to walk again. Thanks to the persistent care by his mother and frequent trips to exercise in the ocean, he healed and became strong. He graduated from Washingtonville high class of '54 and was an outstanding basketball player. He graduated from OCCC and Farleigh Dickenson University with a BS degree in Math and Engineering. He met his future wife Corinne "Corky" Wright in 1955 at OCCC and they married in 1960.
His long career with Powers Regulator Co. and later Robertshaw Controls Co. took the family to Albany, Baltimore, Arlington and Houston, where he managed the offices. He loved his line of work, especially the problem solving and increasingly difficult assignments. In 1974, in order to be near the family, they returned to Middletown to buy Cavender's Goodyear Tire Co., moving it from downtown to Campbell Plaza. After eight years, he returned to work at Robertshaw Controls and managed branches in Paramus and Westbury before retiring in late 1994. Now he could fish with friends in Wildwood and endlessly enjoy his magical, complex ocean. He loved navigation and owned charts for all the waters that he explored, including Canada and Alaska. He owned the boat of his dreams and fished offshore for Tuna and inshore for flounder ,stripers and rockfish. He mainly tagged and released. His clock was the tide tables and he enjoyed this until recently, even though he had to commute from Cape May to Crystal Run for treatments.Â
Left behind to miss him are wife Corky, two daughters, Kathie and husband Randy Maclean, Nancy and husband Allen Schoonmaker,son Hank and companion Kim, three grandchildren, Ashlie Maclean, Riley and Roland Schoonmaker, sister Linda and husband Peter Vanhaaster and nephew Erick, brother-in-law Frank Wright, beloved lifetime extended families, the Marions, Cavenders, L'heureuxs, Arbers, Prices, Earles and friends at Haven House.Â
Hank spent his last week in Hospice care at ORMC with his family always nearby. Our deep thanks to them and the caring staff that encouraged us to relax and spend our last days together in comfort and peace. For the past year, we've had the loving attention of Dr. Kondagunta and her exceptional oncology nurses. Their attention to details and smiling hellos always uplifted our days. The ORMC Radiology team were also outstanding. They not only kept us informed and educated, they treated us fondly and served hot chocalate with smiles. Somehow being sick was so much easier to bear with such a loving and united support system. A donation to Hospice would be appreciated and at Hank's request, there will be no service. He does hope everyone will teach their children to fish, and will raise a glass at 5pm and say, :CHEERS HANK".
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