Bernie Rudner

June 27, 1929–Sept. 26, 2026

Bernie Rudner, beloved husband, father, grandfather and great-grandfather, passed away Sept. 26, 2026, at 97, after decades of dedication to his family and friends. Until the very end, he remained steadfast in his willingness to go to incredible lengths for his loved ones. He will live on in the memories of those who were blessed to know him.

Bernard Rudner was born June 27, 1929, the second child of Samuel Rudner and Lena Sherman Rudner. Lena, a Ukrainian immigrant who taught herself English, raised Bernie and his sister, Selma, essentially by herself. From Lena, Bernie learned the value of hard work, education and dedication to family.

Bernie was also very close with his grandmother, Hinda Sherman, who read the Yiddish-language Jewish Daily Forwardfrom cover to cover every day so that she and Bernie could eagerly discuss the latest news together. Hinda gave Bernie a passion for civic engagement and debate that he maintained for the rest of his life. As the members of his coffee klatsch at the Jewish Community Center can attest, Bernie’s passion for debate about the latest headlines never waned for a moment.

Bernie worked to support himself and his family from the time he was 10 years old until he retired at 61. He was the first member of his family to attend college, working as an office clerk and at a luncheonette to support himself. His mother was overcome with pride when he graduated with a Bachelor of Business Administration from the City College of New York in 1952.

After graduating, Bernie immediately began his career in sales, focusing on men’s clothing manufacturing. His sales territory included a huge swath of the Northeast, and he essentially lived on the road for two years — but he found every excuse he could to return to New York to spend time with a young woman named Sydel Harriet Juskowitz. By mid-1954, Bernie had secured full-time employment in New York City. He had also secured a much more important commitment: Sydel agreed to marry him. Bernie and Sydel were married Dec. 26, 1954. Together, they had two children: a daughter, Roni, and a son, Steven.

Bernie was an incredibly dedicated husband and father. He and Sydel built a life together for 65 years, until her passing on March 12, 2020. He took her on her first airplane ride when they spent their honeymoon in Miami Beach. She threw him his first-ever birthday party when he turned 40. He delighted in her brilliance and wit, and she remained grateful for his relentless work ethic and the life that his work made possible for their family. In the final years of Sydel’s life, when she became homebound due to the debilitating realities of Alzheimer’s disease, Bernie was unwavering and singularly dedicated to her well-being. She was the love of his life, and he was the love of hers.

In New York City, and later in El Paso, Bernie also showed his dedication to his family by relentlessly working to provide for them. He spent roughly 18 years working for the clothing manufacturing company Billy the Kid, including as the company’s national sales manager and vice president. Eventually, he and Art Anchondo started their own company, The 807 Company, where Bernie worked until he retired. But Bernie’s professional success was always only one part of the story. His true investment was in his family.

Bernie never lost sight of the importance of education. He and Sydel were both first-generation Americans who went on to lead lives of comfort and stability, securing opportunities for themselves and their children that exceeded Lena Sherman’s wildest dreams for her son. Together, it was one of Bernie and Sydel’s greatest sources of pride and joy that they were able to support their five grandchildren in their pursuit of higher education. Bernie’s favorite job title of his life was grandfather.

Even in his 80s and 90s, Bernie was cheerful, willing and eager to support his friends and family in all of their endeavors. He exercised and socialized daily at the JCC, traveled cross-country and even internationally for graduation ceremonies and to visit his grandchildren and great-grandchildren, and even spent one particularly memorable late night at a New Orleans jazz bar when the occasion called for it. He was always up for a debate and never shy about providing an opinion, and readily expressed gratitude for his incredible good fortune. He will be dearly, dearly missed by all who knew him.

Bernie is survived by his children, Steven (Lisa) Rudner and Roni (Joseph) Rothstein; his grandchildren, Jordan, Zachary and Joshua Rudner, Moshe (Miriam) Rothstein and Shayna (Yaakov) Zabludowski; and his nine great-grandchildren. He was also the brother of the late Selma (Lenny) Pollack, z”l.

A memorial service will be held at Congregation Shearith Israel at noon Tuesday, Sept. 29.

The family requests that donations be made to the Alzheimer’s Association.

Services entrusted to Sparkman/Hillcrest Funeral Home.