Passed away peacefully Thursday, June 21, 2012, age 56. Dear husband of Mary. Loving father of Stephanie, Adam, Robert "Bruno" (Casey) and Jimmy. Grandpa of Link, Chloe, Jakob and Maxten. Preceded in death by his grandson, Steven. Beloved son of Martha and the late Ervin. Brother of Joseph (Colleen), Paul Smith, Christine (Felix) Santiago and Andrea (David) Snastin. Also loved by other relatives and friends.Memorial Gathering at the Funeral Home Monday, June 25, 4:00-6:45 PM. Memorial Service 7:00 PM.Robert James "Rufe" Smith was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on 19 May, 1956. He was the fourth child of Ervin Joseph Smith and Martha Ann Smith (Pfuehler). The family had just moved to St. Martins Road in Franklin, WI, and is where Rufe grew up. At that time, Franklin was not as developed as it is today, and for the most part comprised of farmlands, undeveloped fields and woodlands. It made him a country boy.While attending Country Dale elementary school, Robert was cast in a class play, and the role he was selected for was named "King Rufus". From that day forward, he became "Rufe".He attended Franklin High School, finishing in 1974. He started working almost immediately at All Glass Aquarium, a glass manufacturer in Franklin, but soon after followed his older brother Joseph into working for the Milwaukee Road Railroad as a section laborer. This was demanding, physical work, and it took its toll on Rufe physically, setting the stage for many life-long problems with his health.By 1977 he had gotten away from railroad work and began working as a journeyman plumber for Wayne Stever Co. As a journeyman, he did many different jobs for Stever, including pipe trenching, heavy machine operation, driving truck and even device installations like water heaters and home plumbing. He did this work until roughly 1985, when he jumped to E & W Sewer and Water, generally carrying out the same work that he did for Stever.By 1990, the years of hard physical labor had taken their toll on Rufe. He had to leave E & W due to physical trauma, and for the remainder of his working life he did sporadic contracting work for different firms and did some private contracting.The physical debilitation continued to increase as he aged. He often was admitted to several area hospitals for treatment and by the time he was in his early 50's, he had become nearly incapacitated physically. His health deteriorated significantly at the beginning of 2012, leading to his most recent hospitalization, where he passed away due to complications from pneumonia on 21 June, 2012.Rufe was married twice, first to Sandra Haluska in 1978 and then to Mary Petzolt in 1985. He has four children, Stephanie (1978), Adam (1979), Robert "Bruno" (1986) and Jimmy (1990). He has several grandchildren as well, Link, Steven (Deceased), Chloe, Jakob and Maxten.People that got to know Rufe characterized him as a man who took pride in an honest day's work, a person who loved hunting and fishing, the outdoors, and would give you the shirt off his back if the situation warranted. While he lived a harder life than most people, it never dulled his sense of humor, and he remained open minded and generous to the end of his days.He was an unforgettable character, and will be missed by all who knew and loved him.
