Adrienne Wheeler Rudge

Adrienne Wheeler Rudge, a resident of Easton, MD, died December 10, 2022. She was 80. Adrienne was born on December 15, 1941, to Betty Jean Hammond and Charles Elliot Wheeler. She grew up on her family’s waterfront farm on Trippe Creek in Easton and graduated from The Country School, George School in Newtown, PA, and in 1963 from Wheaton College in Norton, MA. She received a Master’s degree from the New York University School of Education. After a year of teaching English at Dana Hall School in Wellesley, MA., Adrienne married Kit Rudge, and they moved to New York City in August 1964. She joined the faculty of Nightingale Bamford School while he practiced law. They moved to Chappaqua, NY, in 1975 where they raised their two sons, John and Andrew. While living in Chappaqua, Adrienne served on the boards of several non-profit organizations, including the Mt. Kisco Child Care Center. She also served as president of the board of Planned Parenthood of Westchester/Rockland and as a founder and board member of the Northern Westchester Shelter for Victims of Domestic Violence (now named Hope’s Door). She and her family enjoyed their membership in the Seven Bridges Field Club and their participation in the Chappaqua Summer Scholarship program for several years. Adrienne became Director of Publications and Public Relations at The Masters School in 1988, retiring in 2001 when she moved to Easton, where she built a home on her family’s farm. Her involvement in the local community has included board membership at Talbot Hospice and Critchlow Adkins Children’s Centers. She enjoyed her participation in the Garden Club of the Eastern Shore and her membership in The Harbor Club, where she had a regular Friday afternoon bridge game with good friends. She was an active member and a trustee of Third Haven Friends Meeting. During her retirement, she enjoyed traveling both nationally and internationally. She returned to New York City frequently to visit friends and family and to enjoy the theater and visits to the many museums in Manhattan. Adrienne is survived by her son, John Rudge of White Plains, NY; her son Andrew Rudge and her daughter-in-law Shelley Jones Rudge of Chevy Chase, MD; her sisters, Lindsley Smith and Susan Wheeler, both of Easton, her brother Charles Wheeler of Berkeley, CA; and by her four grandchildren, Charlie, Elizabeth, Avery, and Kate Rudge. Kit Rudge died in 1995. A memorial service will be held at Third Haven Friends Meeting at 405 South Washington Street in Easton in spring 2023 (date and time to follow). Contributions in Adrienne’s memory may be made to Critchlow Adkins Children’s Centers, 133 N. Washington St, Easton, MD 21601 or to Talbot Hospice, 586 Cynwood Drive, Easton, MD, 21601.

Adrienne Wheeler Rudge

December 15, 1941 - December 10, 2022