Rudy's Driving Spirit Lives On at Sissy's

It's been more than six months since Rudy last walked through the front door of .

Sometimes, the employees of the storefront coffee shop in Middletown'ssection still expect to see their beloved regular customer sit down to order lunch as he did every day for 13 years.

But then reality sets in, and they remember that Rudy, the Belford icon, passed away after losing his battle with cancer in June at age 54. Yet, his strident, loving spirit still lingers, bringing smiles and warm thoughts to those who remember him. And everyone remembers Rudy.

Rudy, known only by his first name, lives on in the memories of Sissy's employees and even some of the regular customers he socialized with at the classic 868 Main Street hang-out and eatery.

A Belford resident himself, Rudy loved classic cars; but, as a person facing mental challenges and developmental disabilities, he could never get a driver's license.

Instead, he happily relied upon two wheels for transportation to and from the eatery in the shopping district, located only blocks from his home. Everyone knew him. Everyone saw him around town. He always had a smile, a wave and something uplifting to say.

"Rudy rode his bike here every day, except when the weather was bad," recalled Debra D'Alessio, a waitress at who often served the loyal customer.

"He loved cars, but he couldn't drive," she said. "He was relegated to a riding a bicycle all of his life."

Campbell's Junction, which functions as Belford's unofficial downtown at Main Street and Leonardville Road, has seen its share of stores, restaurants, banks, and other businesses come and go over the years. Other merchants, such as Naples Pizzeria and Lentz Auto Body have been at "The Junction," as it's known to locals, for as long as anyone can remember. 

Rudy was as much a part of the local flavor as the collection of strip shopping centers itself, according to Dave Hegeman, also a Belford native.

"Rudy had been around the junction for a long time," Hegeman said.

Nancy Fix, another Sissy's waitress, knew Rudy from the days when her mother drove his school bus for the Middletown Township .

When Sissy's first opened in a space at the southernmost end of the shopping center where it is now, Rudy started coming in for lunch, she recalled.

"He started coming around after we opened in 1998," Fix said.

Restaurant owner Sissy Smith acted as a mother figure to Rudy and made sure he ate well, Fix and D'Alessio noted.

"She always made sure he had a good meal," D'Alessio said.

Rudy came to spend many of his birthdays with Sissy's staff and customers. "Every year for his birthday, we'd have balloons for him and cupcakes," D'Alessio said.

Often, the Sissy's crew would play 1950's style doo-wop music, as it was Rudy's favorite.

"He loved Johnny Maestro and the Brooklyn Bridge," D'Alessio said.

A few years ago, Rudy's well-worn bicycle had to be replaced. A new bicycle came from an unexpected place when the family of deceased stepped up to help their neighbor, D'Alessio said.

The Tietjen family had started the Kenneth F. Tietjen Foundation to honor their son, a Belford native, who perished while trying to assist others trapped in the the .

Carrying forward on Tietjen's love for bicycles and desire to pay it forward, the family couldn't think of a person better suited to competely enjoy the gift of a new bike other than Rudy. Being Belford natives, the Tietjens saw, interacted with and appreciated Rudy's presence around town for many years. They knew his bike was part of his persona.

"The Tietjen family bought him a new bike," D'Alessio said.

Rudy's admiration for first responders such as Tietjen, along with his passion for marching in parades, eventually lead the  to include him as an honorary member. He was then able to fulfill his dream of marching in area parades with the fire company.

"He got to march in parades with the firemen, in a uniform," D'Alessio said.

Though Rudy might be gone, D'Alessio, Fix and other employees at Sissy's can still glance over at his photo on a wall on the eatery's north wall.

That's where they can see a smiling Rudy, sporting a baseball cap and navy blue jacket and sitting behind the wheel of a black convertible with its top down.

That's when D'Alessio, Fix and other Sissy's employees know that somewhere Rudy is driving the convertible he'd always wished to drive.