Honoring the Memory
of Those
We Love

Peacefully and at home, reunited with his loving wife of 25 years Patricia Ann (Beckman Brueggman) Pallan in their eternal Camelot on Tuesday, April 30, 2024.

Rudy packed his 91 years with family, friends, foundries and fun.

Rudy was born in Brentwood Borough, a suburb of Pittsburgh, PA. He and his two elder brothers Ernest Jerome and Arthur Earl were raised by their parents, Rudolph and Elizabeth (Berger) Pallan, and their maternal grandparents Joseph and Elizabeth Berger.

With just a little prompting, Rudy would happily share entertaining stories about which big brother did what in which room of the house, about his mother’s weekly shopping walks, his grandfather’s walks, wherever life took him, and his grandmother’s excellent culinary skills.

Rudy developed extraordinary friendships during his years at Brentwood High School; friendships he would nurture all his life. Most notable among them, with the unforgettable Patsy Beckman. Many of those friends were destined to be members of the Brentwood High School Hall of Fame. Rudy, himself, was inducted as a distinguished alumnus member in 2004. He proudly served as chairman of the Hall of Fame Board for five years.

After graduating high school in 1950, Rudy enrolled in Carnegie Tech, now Carnegie Mellon University, to study mechanical engineering. While there, he enlisted in the U.S. Army ROTC program, leading to five years of active duty and reservist military service. He attained the rank of captain. He put his Bachelor of Science degree to work as an engineer for the Dravo Corporation. But his sights were set on marriage and combining his engineering expertise with entrepreneurship.

In 1957, Rudy wedded Sandra Jean Becki. Together, they enjoyed a 40-year marriage in Wexford, PA. They spent memorable weekends at their summer house on Lake Chautauqua where they boated and took in a variety of cultural offerings.

Rudy further prepared for the career he envisioned by earning a BS in Industrial Management from Carnegie Tech and his MBA from Duquesne University.

His education choices served him well. Rudy went from being the chief engineer at Somerset Foundry and Machine to being the treasurer, then president. Success there lead to his founding Somerset Consolidated Industries by capitalizing on the capacities of four Pennsylvania foundries. He stepped in as president at three additional foundries to lead them out of bankruptcy and into profitability. He established two landfills for foundry sand and a workman’s compensation insurance company all before his retirement in 2003.

Rudy mourned the sudden loss of his dear wife Sandra in 1996. His life took a fortunate turn in 1997 when he courted and married his high school crush, Patsy Beckman Brueggman.

Over the next 25 years, they would live life to its fullest together, fueled by the love they shared. They travelled in the U.S., Europe and the Caribbean, kicked up their heels at Marco Island, FL and lived a fairy tale life while sharing their love with Pat’s children Laurie Ann (married Gregg Scheuring), Roberta Lee (married Peter Donovan), Edwin Michael, Michael Richard (married Terry Hoerger) and Elizabeth Marie (married Richard Giles). Rudy was ”Pap” to grandchildren Gregory and Kathleen Scheuring, Joel, Molly, Bailey and Hannah Donovan, Abigail and Edwin Jr. Brueggman, Samantha and Michael Brueggman, and Aiden and Rylan Giles- and to Laurie’s grandchildren Luca, Ivan, Effie, Inez and Alta. He loved each of them.

As a lasting tribute to the great start they received at Brentwood High School, Rudy endowed the Rudolph and Patricia Pallan Scholarship to help future BHS graduates reach their goals.

Rudy brought joy and smiles to every occasion. His humility was exceeded only by his generosity. The Brueggman family and all his relatives, friends and neighbors will miss him terribly. But he lived an enviable life and is back with his “baby girl” so there is some peace in that.

Friends will be received at the John F. Slater Funeral Home, 412-881-4100, 4201 Brownsville Road, Brentwood 15227 on Sunday, May 5, 2024 from 3-8 p.m. Funeral Prayer on Monday, May 6, 2024 at 9:15 a.m. followed by a Mass of Christian Burial in St. Paul of the Cross Parish, St. Anne Church, Castle Shannon at 10:00 a.m. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations will be graciously appreciated by Life’sWork, 2403 Sidney Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15203.