Community Bids Farewell To Beloved Longtime Southold Justice

SOUTHOLD, NY — The community is mourning the passing of beloved former Southold Town Justice Rudolph Bruer III, who died Wednesday at 77.

Funeral services for the Honorable Rudolph Bruer III, who lived in Florida and was a longtime Southold resident, will take place at the Coster Heppner Funeral Home in Cutchogue.

Visitation will be held Saturday from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., and 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., as well as Sunday from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the funeral home.

A funeral mass will be held Monday at 10 a.m. at St. Patrick's Church, located on Main Road in Southold.

Burial will follow at St. Patrick's Cemetery at Southold. In lieu of flowers contributions can be made to a Meals on Wheels program.

A legacy of commitment to Southold

Judge Bruer retired from the bench in Southold in 2015, after serving as a judge for 20 years, with a legal career that dated back to 1965.

He touched countless lives — and friends gave heartfelt tribute after learning the news.

"Rudy was a good friend and I am deeply saddened by his passing," said Southold Town Supervisor Scott Russell. "I enjoyed working with him. I was fortunate to have been able to call him a friend."

Justice William Price said he and Justice Bruer had been friends for 40 years. "We traveled together, every once in awhile," he said. "Rudy was a true gentleman and a family man. He worked hard at being a judge."

What made him shine in his position, Price said, was that "he had been in Southold Town so long — he knew the territory as well as the law."

His compassion, heart, and thoughtful, objective consideration were hallmarks of Justice Bruer's legacy, Price said.

"He was a caring person. When you would have a conversation with him, it was truly a conversation. He would listen — and expect the same of you," he said.

Price mentioned Justice Bruer's love of community, serving as the attorney for the Southold Fire Department for many years, and said he was also an active member of his church.

Justice Bruer, Price said, truly savored the moments of his life. "One of the things he liked to do was drive. He took a lot of driving vacations."

But most of all, he said, he loved nothing more than being surrounded by those that meant the world to him.

"He used to have Thanksgiving parties at his home, and it would be just jam-packed," Price said. "He liked to visit with his family. He loved his family."

Southold Town Justice Court Director Leanne Riley said he will be remembered always. "We are all saddened by Judge Bruer's passing.He was a consummate professional, compassionate and always a gentleman. No matter who was in front of him at the bench — attorneys, public, or police — everyone was treated with respect and fairness."

After he retired, she said, "he would occasionally stop in to visit and give us updates on his recent adventures. He always had new pictures of his family, which he loved sharing with us. He will be missed by all of us here in the justice court."

In his own words

Perhaps Justice Bruer's own words, from a Patch interview in 2011, best express and convey his legacy, the kind of man he was, truly devoted to his profession, his town, his family.

In the interview, he said he often saw people in some of their hardest moments, and he believed everyone who stepped into his court should be treated the way he would want to be treated.

When Bruer moved his practice and his family to the North Fork in 1971, he said real estate was the main focus of his practice, though he did some estate and surrogates work.

He represented clients before the zoning board, planning board, and town board and also represented local lenders including Southold Savings Bank, North Fork Bank, and even Capitol One for a few years, he said.

After he was elected in 1995, he said he eliminated trial work from his practice because his schedule precluded it.

Being a Southold Town Justice was a 24-hour job, according to Bruer, who said he’d been awoken in the middle of the night for emergencies and search warrants over the years.

Over the years, he said the court had grown busier, with more trials and hearings than in the past, but said that never changed the way in which he approached his position, or the way he dealt with the men and women who came before him in his courtroom.

“I look at each case individually and keep an open mind," he said. "I take my oath of office very seriously."

Patch file photo.