AAGE RUDE

Aage Rude was born Aug. 27, 1926 in Assens, Denmark to Harald and Ragnhild (Christensen) Rude.
Aage’s childhood was spent in Denmark, and he liked to recount tales of his father managing the local slaughterhouse and the family spending summers at their seaside cottage.
After graduation from high school in Odense, Aage studied chemical engineering in Harnosand, Sweden and in 1952 went to work at the Pilgrimstads pulp and paper mill. It was during this time that he met his lifelong love, Elisabeth Thomsen, who worked as a housekeeper for his co-worker.
After a short period of friendship, they didn’t see each other for several years during which each returned separately to Denmark. A birthday card Lisbeth sent to his mother’s address ended up reuniting them in the summer of 1956. Soon after, Aage asked Lisbeth to marry him and accompany him to Canada.
Aage arrived by ship in Montreal in November, 1956 and Lisbeth flew to join him three months later. They were married in the Danish Lutheran Church in Montreal.
After only six months in Montreal, Aage and Lisbeth moved to Prince Rupert, B.C., where Aage worked as an engineer at Colombia Cellulose. It was in Prince Rupert that Annie and Susanne were born.
Only two years later, opportunity called again and they moved to Fort Frances, Ont.
In 1961, Eric was born and six years later, Marianne followed.
Aage worked as a senior process engineer in the Fort Frances mill for 22 years. Then in 1985, he established Kemotron Process Controls—providing Canadian representation for the Danish company of the same name.
It was in Fort Frances that Aage’s wanderlust ran its course and he put down roots. While Aage and Lisbeth always were nostalgic for Denmark, Aage loved the freedom and vast geography of Canada and relished the challenges his new home offered. In 1971, Aage built a cabin on Hopkins Bay–claiming an untouched piece of Canada’s hinterland.
Aage lived his life with a strong sense of obligation to the world and people around him. This trait was demonstrated early when, at the age of 14, Aage joined the Danish resistance to Nazi Germany’s occupation of Denmark and became a freedom fighter. Working in the clandestine network that sent messages, published newsletters, and caused public disturbances, the resistance was able to remove most of Denmark’s Jews to safety in Sweden.
Aage rarely spoke of his heroic role, yet it clearly shaped a lifelong commitment to helping others–particularly those of different cultures and religions.
In the late 1970s, Aage started the area’s first multicultural organization—the Rainy Lake Multicultural Association and its festival, Culturama—in Fort Frances. It was this endeavour that may have given Aage his greatest joy as it united people with varied ancestries to celebrate the heritage, dances, and food of their homelands.
Never would Aage’s eyes twinkle more than on the opening night of the event he had worked so hard to plan.
Culturama led to Aage’s involvement with the Multicultural Association of Northwestern Ontario, the establishment of the Rainy River District Race Relations Committee, and finally the Fort Frances Police Services Board. He received various awards for his community service, including the five- and 10-year Ontario Service Medals and the Canada 125 medal.
Aage’s community activism included a long tenure on the Fort Frances Economic Development Commission, the Fun in the Sun Committee, and the Kiwanis Club—he even ran for mayor in the late 1980s.
Aage also was an active member and leader in the Zion Lutheran Church for almost 50 years. As well, he spearheaded a campaign to save the old CN station from demolition in the late 1980s.
Whether busy advocating for one cause or another, Aage’s interest always was in the well-being of others. The Rude household had a revolving door as people from all backgrounds and circumstances frequently were invited home for dinner or to stay the night.
In 1980, Aage and Lisbeth’s beloved oldest daughter, Annie, was killed in an airplane crash, and the tragedy spurred Aage and Lisbeth to cement their ties to Canada by attaining Canadian citizenship–a moment they always cherished.
As Aage’s health started to fail several years ago, the dedication of Lisbeth and later, Eric, allowed him to remain a visible member of the community—always happy to share a Carlsberg and a smile with those around him. His was a life well-lived.
Aage was predeceased by his parents; wife, Lisbeth; and oldest daughter, Annie.
Aage will always be loved and sorely missed by Susanne, Eric, and Marianne; Susanne’s children, Nathan and Elyse and her husband, Sampan (Tia) Powdondem; Marianne’s husband, Leslie Campbell, and their children, Georgia and Coleman; Aage’s sister, Agnethe Clemmensen and her children, Jens and Lars, and their spouses; and numerous nieces and nephews in Denmark.
A celebration of Aage’s life will be held Tuesday, June 16, 2009 at 1 p.m. at the Zion Lutheran Church in Fort Frances, with interment to follow at Riverview Cemetary.
Rev. Brian Keffer will officiate.
Friends then may gather with the family immediately afterwards at the Little Beaver Snow Park.
The honourary pallbearers will be Randy Ryan, Orla Thomassen, and all of Aage’s many friends and family here and in Denmark.
In memoriam donations may be addressed to Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church (general fund), 1105 Scott St., Fort Frances, Ont. or c/o Green Funeral Home, P.O. Box 427, Fort Frances, Ont., P9A 3M8.
Online condolences may be offered at www.mem.com