Rudolph "Rudy" Keith Burson passed away peacefully on 6/8/2020 in Fort Wayne. Rudy was born 10/29/1945 in Dayton, Ohio. He attended university at Miami of Ohio, and later worked for Armco Steel in Chicago. Rudy married his spouse Joan (Matejka) Burson on April 26,1980 in Elmhurst, IL. One of his most notable achievements included playing Minor League baseball for the Batavia (N.Y.) Clippers and Daytona Beach Islanders as a relief pitcher in the Detroit Tiger organization. However, this dream was never realized as it was cut short by a career ending car accident. He was a member of Three Rivers Wesleyan Church. He loved his family, watching his grandkids play, hunting, fishing, watching nascar and baseball. Perhaps his greatest pride was being “Papa” to his grandchildren Danica, Isaac, Patrick, Stanley and Abigail. He was preceded in death by his parents Darrell and A. Jean Burson. Rudy is survived by his wife Joan, his mother-in-law Ann, his sons Ken (Tina) Burson and Scott (Valerie) Burson, and sister Cheryl (Hank) Ingle and brother Brian (Heather) Burson, and many nieces, nephews and cousins. A celebration of life will be held at 7 pm, Tuesday, June 30, 2020 at Three Rivers Wesleyan Church for all who wish to attend. Please consider a donation to Parkinson’s disease research in Rudy Burson’s name in lieu of flowers or memorials. FairHaven Funeral Home and Cremation Services is handling services.