The obituary may pass with little notice: Rudy Mutter, 82, died Saturday.
Rudy Mutter
He hadn’t lived in Westport in many years. Most recently he was back in his hometown of Easthampton, Mass. But he spent 30 years here, and made a mark on this town in ways we don’t see much anymore.
Though a high-ranking executive with American Standard and Nestle, Rudy found time for a broad range of civic activities. He served on the RTM; was chairman of the Board of Education; joined the Republican Town Committee; volunteered with the League of Women Voters; was an active participant in the Saugatuck Congregational Church, and was a founder, longtime member and chairman of the board of the Saugatuck Nursery School.
In 2001 he wrote and published a family history, chronicling his family’s journey “from Old Germany to New England.”
After moving from here, he continued his active ways. He was an RTM member in Easthampton; helped manage the family-owned 430-acre tree farm in New Hampshire, and was a key member of many forestry, mountaineering and outdoor clubs. He and his wife were avid bike riders, on the C&O Canal, on Cape Cod, and through Elderhostels in Europe.
It’s not true that there are no more Rudy Mutter types around.
But the woods aren’t full of them, either.
(Memorial gifts may be made to the Saugatuck Nursery School, 245 Post Rd. E., Westport, CT 06880.)
