Rudolf Wilhelm Hammermeister

Rudy passed away peacefully on October 16, 2026, at Drumlin Reserve Memory Care in Cottage Grove, WI. He was one of four children born to Rudolf and Antonie (Reddig) Hammermeister on January 19, 1936, in Groß Klingbeck Germany (East Prussia). He lived through World War II and eventually made it to Western Germany after the war where he and his family lived in Dortmund. Rudy was an adventurer and traveled across Europe before immigrating to the United States in 1962. He lived in Racine, WI where he met and married Susan Poulsen before moving to Madison in 1966. They had three daughters (Tina, Monica, and Karine) before divorcing in 1985.

He worked as a milkman for one year in Madison, before beginning work at Lutheran Mutual Life Insurance as a salesman. His career spanned 30 years and three companies (all through acquisitions and mergers) before he retired in 1996. Retirement did not suit him, so he started working part time for the Post Office and ended up working there for ten years.

Rudy was an avid biker, and you could find him biking around Lake Monona almost every morning, and after retirement you could find him biking almost anywhere in Madison at any time of day. One of his biggest achievements was to bike over 9,000 miles in one year. He loved classical music and opera and listened to Wisconsin Public Radio daily. He was also a “techie” and was one of the first to purchase new things – beta VHS, laser disk player, and every type of video recorder you could imagine. No party was complete without Dad taking videos or photos. He was also a handyman; refurbishing two homes, and he was always willing to help neighbors with small projects or just watch the progress.

Rudy will be dearly missed by his daughters, Tina (Russ) Schneider, Monica (Gerry) Briggs, and Karine (Andy) Narr, his grandchildren, Marissa Schneider, Justin (Jenna) Schneider, Emily (Ethan) Starin, Matthew Briggs, Seth (Kaitlyn) Narr, and Abigail Narr, his great grandchildren Rosie Schneider, and Aubrey Starin, his brother Ervin (Karin) Hammermeister and many cousins, nieces, and nephews both here in the States and in Germany.

Rudy is preceded in death by his parents, his older brother Walter, and his younger sister Dorethea.

The family would like to thank Ramiro and Ryan who cared for him in his home for many years, and the staff at Drumlin Reserve for their care the past ten months. We would also like to thank the staff at Agrace Hospice for the support they provided toward the end of Rudy’s life.

No services will be held at this time, but there will be a small gathering for family and close friends in the future.

Donations can be made to the Wisconsin Public Radio or the Wisconsin Public Broadcast System in his honor.