Service Details
Visitation will be held at Draeger-Langendorf Funeral Home on Tuesday, April 15th, from 10:00 am – 12:00 pm. A procession will follow to Mound Cemetery Chapel where a service of remembrance will take place. For those who wish, please come with a short story or memory to share. A memorial luncheon will be held following the cemetery service.
Memorial Suggestions
In recognition for Rusty’s love for animals, memorials to “H.O.P.E. Safehouse” have been suggested.
Racine- Rusty (nee: Smith) Stirle, age 78, passed away unexpectedly, yet peacefully, as the result of a brain aneurysm on Tuesday, April 8, 2025 at Ascension All Saints Hospital.
A lifetime resident, Rusty was born in Racine on March 24, 1947 to the late Robert and Rosalie (nee: Coberly) Smith. A 1965 graduate of Washington Park High School, she went on to earn her communications degree from University of Wisconsin – Parkside.
On October 14, 1989, Rusty was united in marriage with the love of her life, Gerald “Gerry” Stirle, who preceded her in death on June 21, 2009. Extremely talented and detail oriented, Rusty was a freelance stained glass artist. She had also worked for the Girl Scouts, R & S Meats and as a 911 dispatcher for Racine County.
Most always casual in flannel and a vest, Rusty had a great an appreciation for simplicity and the great outdoors. She enjoyed skiing, scuba diving, restoring & refinishing a good find, traveling with Gerry, music and was a passionate dog-mom. Above all, Rusty loved spending time with her entire family and extensive circle of friends.
Surviving are children, Patrick (Beth) Clark, Teresa (Mark Dunlap) Tutlewski-Smith, Michelle (Randy) Eschmann and Michael (Stacey Goetz) Stirle; grandchildren of whom all lovingly called her “Buddy”, Kailey Clark (Moriba) Diallo, Justin (Kayla) Olson, Emily (Casey) Engelhart, Allison Eschmann, Miranda & Mallory Stirle; great-grandson, Ryder Olson; brother, James Coberly (Irene) Smith; sister, Barbara Ann Smith; dear nephew, James Joseph Smith Burgess (Amanda); brother-in-law, Mark (Kathy) Stirle; sister-in-law, Jan (John) Dumas; goldendoodle boy, “Bucky”; other nieces, nephews, relatives and friends – too numerous to mention all by name.
Rusty was preceded in death by her father, Robert Nelson Smith; mother, Rosalie Coberly Smith Sommer; step-father, Fred Sommer; husband, Gerald “Gerry” Stirle; beloved son , Erik Stirle; and by several golden retriever children.
Visitation will be held at Draeger-Langendorf Funeral Home on Tuesday, April 15th, from 10:00 am – 12:00 pm. A procession will follow to Mound Cemetery Chapel where a service of remembrance will take place. For those who wish, please come with a short story or memory to share. A memorial luncheon will be held following the cemetery service. In recognition for Rusty’s love for animals, memorials to “H.O.P.E. Safehouse” have been suggested.
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