Happy Birthday to you!!

Today is your birthday and as you begin your 29th trip around the sun I want you to know that we are so proud of you and are so grateful for the light that you bring to us. We don’t always agree and that’s ok. We hold on to the things that matter most, each other. This last year found you doing new things and forging new, uncharted paths.

As your mom, I want to give you space to acknowledge how the threads of grief and loss weave through the very fabric of any occasion we celebrate. The passing of time is a thief and sometimes we are left empty handed watching it run away from us. It seems to start as the season's change and carries through, at least for me, until spring. Honestly, it never goes away. I also realize that there are things that Dad and I don't know that only Evan held about you, and it's those things that I mourn. It's that proximity that I agonize over as I can't give those to you. You can't always articulate those things; you often seem without the words you need to express it, and I want to help, but I'm just a listener—an observer of the grief you bear. So I listen. I hold open the door so that you can walkthrough. I mourn with you as it seems hard to find those who understand these parts—the loss of a brother and all that comes with it. Happy Birthday, son! May this year hold great things for you as you continue to walk out your path.

The Greatest Generation lost one of their own in February.

On the last day of February our family said goodbye to my Dad...Harold Dyson Rutter, Jr. He passed away on Sunday, February 12, 2016 at the age of 88 years old, surrounded by loved ones, at his home in Fort Mill, SC.

He was born in Altoona, Pa. on February 9, 1929 to Harold Dyson Rutter, Sr. and Clair Helen (Croyle) Rutter.  He was the first-born son of four children to whom he was very close.  His oldest sister Joyce Arlene (Rutter) Shiplett lives in Kingston, PA; and youngest brother Gene Rutter lives in Raleigh, NC. His youngest sister, Edris (Rutter) Colyer, precedes him in death.

Harold never met a stranger he didn’t like, was a seeker of information, a treasure trove of knowledge and was always ready with a hug or time for a conversation. Upon graduating from Altoona High School, he volunteered and was accepted to the US Navy during WWII for the Submarine Service.  He felt fortunate to serve on three different submarines, the USS Corsair SS435, the USS Trumptfish SS425, and a captured German U-Boat, USS Ex-U2513. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_submarine_U-2513  

He served on the USS EX U-2513

Following his honorable discharge from the service he attended Penn State University and worked for the Pennsylvania Railroad. It was during this time that he met and married the love of his life Dorla Rose Albright on May 26, 1956 in Winchester, VA. They both enjoyed playing card games, dancing, singing, Mexican train and their family.

International Business Machines (IBM) employed him from 1959 until 1991. During his time with IBM he worked in both New York and Virginia but spent a majority of his career in San Jose, CA as an engineer.  Following retirement and years of global travel, he and Dorla moved to Fort Mill, SC where they made great connections in the American Legion, the VFW in Fort Mill, the Fort Mill Moose Lodge and the Carolina Piedmont Submarine Veterans Base. These organizations of caring peers continued to be a part of his life especially as his health began to fail.

He is survived by his wife, Dorla Rutter, his children; John Hammel and wife Jean of Lake Wylie, SC; Tom Hammel and his wife, Debra of Benson, AZ; Randy Rutter of San Jose, CA.; Dawn Kincade and husband, John of Vacaville, CA. and Shawn Rutter and his wife, Rebecca of Charlotte, NC.  Harold’s family has extended to 14 grandchildren and countless great grandchildren. His grandson, Evan Kincade of Vacaville, CA. precedes him in death.

I want to thank my Uncle Gene Rutter for all that he did as he officiated, organized and helped us honor our Dad in a way that was traditional but also showed the fun, adventurous and loving man that he was and will always be to those who loved him.

We love you, Dad. Thank you for the love that you gave so freely to all who knew you and for your service to our country.