Arthur Pryor Rudolph

Arthur Pryor Rudolph, Jr. age 98, of Methuen, MA passed away on June 9, 2025.

Arthur was born on December 31, 1926, in Quincy, MA to Arthur Pryor Rudolph Sr. and Amy Mae (Griffith) Rudolph. His father was a fisherman, ship rigger, yachtsman and estate caretaker. They lived in several cities in Massachusetts over the years (Quincy, Somerville, Dorchester, Gloucester, Jamaica Plain, and Dedham). Most of Arthur’s childhood was spent in Jamaica Plain. Arthur met Ruth Dietzel in church, and they were married in February 1960. They had been married for 65 years at Arthur’s passing.

Arthur attended Hyde Park High School, graduating in 1945. He took a cooperative industrial course in high school; planning to go into carpentry, he accidentally ended up in the machinist course. He continued this career, becoming a project machinist in a one-man research shop in the department of civil engineering at Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, MA where he worked for 45 years, retiring in 1996.

Always interested in music, Arthur was introduced to the drums in high school where he played in the marching band, classical orchestra, and dance band. He later had his own small orchestra and played for school dances, weddings, and ballroom dances.

Arthur and Ruth were avid campers and travelers. They drove their RV as far as Alaska, Mexico, and Canada.  They covered nearly all the contiguous US states in their travels. Grandchildren frequently joined them on local camping trips.

Arthur came to know the Lord as his Savior in his late 20’s and was devoted to church activities the rest of his life, serving as Sunday school teacher, deacon, elder, usher, greeter, and music coordinator.

Arthur was always busy with his hands, making and fixing things around the home. After his retirement, he could frequently be found in his basement shop working on projects. Items were dropped off for repair by children and grandchildren.

Arthur is survived by his loving wife Ruth (Dietzel); daughter Ann (Rudolph) Mitchell and her husband James; son Jonathan Rudolph and his wife Karen (Ayers); Son Stephen Rudolph and his wife Susan (Nelson); daughter Alicia (Rudolph) Mitchell and her husband Steven; Linda (Rudolph) Bond and her husband Timothy. He is also survived by 19 grandchildren and 20 great grandchildren.  He is preceded in death by his sister Lois (Rudolph) Richards; brother Harvey Rudolph; sister Eleanore (Rudolph) Abbate. He was also the loving uncle of several nieces and nephews.

Memorial Services for Arthur and Ruth will be held on Saturday, July 12, in the Salem Bible Church, 11 Ermer Road, Salem, NH, beginning at 11:00 AM. In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be made to Salem Bible Church, Salem, NH. For guestbook,visit www.driscollcares.com

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