Richard Rutledge Obituary

Richard Gordon Rutledge

Richard Gordon Rutledge, of Wilmette, Ill., age 91, passed away on March 1, 2025. Mr. Rutledge was born in Sayre, Pa. on April 5,1933, the son of an Episcopal Canon, the Reverend Beecher M. Rutledge and his wife, Ruth Crannell Rutledge.

He lived for his first ten years in Owego, N.Y., and then through his college years, in Warren, Pa. He graduated in 1956 from Cornell University with a Master's degree in Mechanical Engineering and a minor in business. He then graduated from Officer's Candidate School in Newport, RI after which he served as an intelligence officer for the Commander in Chief of the Pacific Fleet, based in Pearl Harbor, at that time, still the Territory of Hawaii. He was selected to serve on two Naval aircraft carriers including the Midway. In 1960, while serving as an officer, he received his MBA from the University of Hawaii. He also did post graduate studies at Northwestern University.

He met his wife, Elizabeth ("Betsy") Jennings at a fraternity and sorority mixer while both were at Cornell. The couple were married in Evanston, Ill. in 1957 and were nearly constant companions during their more than 67 year marriage. Following his military service, he worked for IBM for five years, in Fort Wayne, Ind. In 1965, he acquired an ownership interest in the real estate firm, Quinlan and Tyson, Inc., headquartered in Evanston. In 1980, he sold his interest in that firm and purchased an interest in the Lake Forest based real estate firm, Gilbert Rayner and Associates. He served as president of both firms. He was active in a variety of local, state and national organizations, favoring those of an educational nature, including serving as President of the North Shore Board of Realtors and President of the Rotary Club of Lake Forest/Lake Bluff. After selling his interests in both firms, he became a private investor.

Mr. Rutledge had a life-long interest in the out-of-doors, stoked in his formative years by many wonderful boyhood scouting experiences in heavily wooded Western Pennsylvania, replete with waterways, which was life defining. He was an Eagle Scout and a member of the Order of the Arrow. He was a member of the Sheridan Shores Yacht Club in Wilmette for many years, where he and his family raced Flying Scots. He was also a long time member of the Lake Geneva Yacht Club in Wisconsin, where they owned a home, which served as the backdrop of many cherished family memories. They also owned homes in Hutchinson Island, Fla. and Bellingham, Wash. An avid sportsman, his outdoor interests included sailing, skiing, hunting, trout and bass fishing, tennis, canoeing, power boating, hiking, biking, and travel. He was a long time member of the Michigan Shores Club and the Trinity United Methodist Church in Wilmette.

Survivors include his beloved wife, Elizabeth ("Betsy") Rutledge of Wilmette and their children, Dwight R. Rutledge of Bellingham, Wash., John W. Rutledge (Amanda) of Chicago, Kimberly Rutledge Bickel of Glenview. He was blessed with eight grandchildren and eight great grandchildren. He also has many cousins in both the United States and Canada. He was preceded by one infant daughter, Julia Lynn.

His memorial service will be held Friday, March 14th at 1:30 p.m. at the Trinity United Methodist Church, 1024 Lake Avenue, Wilmette, Ill. with a reception to follow. Burial service will be private at the Oak Hill Cemetery, Lake Geneva, Wis.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that any donations be made to the Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society, The Salvation Army, or a charity of choice.