Rudolph Cerne, 84, of Kenosha passed away on July 30, 2024, surrounded by his loving family.
Rudolph was born on September 25, 1939, in Rozanec Slovenia, Yugoslavia, the son of the late Rudolf and Maria (Steiner) Cerne. In 1951, at the age of 12, he and his mother left Yugoslavia and came to America. When he arrived he did not speak any English. He learned English while attending Kenosha schools.
He served two years at Fort Lewis in Washington state and then served in the Wisconsin National Guard. It was there he received his GED.
Rudolph married Donna Berger on November 20, 1960. They had two daughters, Lori Belanger and Michelle Cerne.
At the age of 18, Rudolph was employed by American Motors Corporation and was a member of the UAW Local 72. He later retired from AMC/Chrysler in 2001.
He was great at remembering European and American history. He loved bowling and watching different sports. His favorites were baseball and football.
He loved spending time with his family, He loved to spoil both his grandchildren and great grandchildren. He loved coffee clutching with his friends. His favorite place to spend time was the folks at the Home Run restaurant in Kenosha.
Survivors include his daughters, Lori Belanger of Kenosha, Michelle Cerne of Kenosha; brother, Joseph (Pat) Cerne of Iowa; his grandchildren; Jessica, Nicholas and Eric Darnell, Donna and Christine Brown and Angelina Belanger and great-grandchildren: Mason, Harper and Philomena.
Rudolph was preceded in death by his parents; wife, Donna; Stepfather, Anton Chernich; brother, Marko Chernich and 2 grandchildren, Emily and Kyle Belanger.
The family would like to thank Dr. Wendell Friedl & staff; Dr. David Knight & staff; Kenosha Hospice Alliance and Vickie and the staff at Tommy’s Home Run restaurant in Kenosha.
A visitation will be held at Kenosha Funeral Services on Sunday August 4, 2024, from 1:00PM-3:00PM with funeral services to follow immediately at 3:00PM.
