Peter Frederick Rusch

We are deeply sorry for your loss ~ Gunderson Funeral Home - Fitchburg

Oh, those many happy miles canoeing the Kickapoo! You could always hear him chuckling, just having fun. Arlene

I worked with Pete at FHWA on the MUTCD Team. I always enjoyed being around or talking with Pete because of his super friendly attitude and his desire to help whenever asked. I have two specfic memories of Pete I'd like to share: - Pete had just been hired by FHWA and he came to DC to meet the bosses and the other MUTCD Team members who were based at DOT HQ in DC. I was very new to the team but when Pete arrived I was the only one available to greet him and let him know some things about the job. I took Pete out to lunch at a nearby restaurant and we had a great conversation about our families, where we had worked before, and other topics of shared interest. We had met before at meetings of NCUTCD, of which we were both members, but as we were on different subcommittees of the organization, we had not known each other very well until that lunch conversation. Pete's technical knowledge and charming personality made us what I always considered thereafter to be good friends. - In July 2003, during the years we shared as MUTCD Team members, Pete and another team member, Fred Ranck, were sent to Montpelier, Vermont, to conduct a training sesson for the Vermont state DOT. When I learned of their trip, my family and I were on a summer vacation at a family house on Lake Champlain in Vermont. At my invitation, in the late afternoon at the end of the training session, Pete and Fred drove 1.5 hours to our lakeside vacation house and we all went out for a cocktail/sunset cruise on the lake in our boat. (See photo). What a great time that was, especially for my wife and kids, who really enjoyed meeting the fun-loving guys I worked with. Many times in the years following that, when Pete and I talked, he would remind me of that boat outing and how much he had appreciated it after a long day of teaching. And, on another occasion, Pete, Linda, and Greg also came to our Vermont family house and had a nice boat ride with us. I will truly miss Pete. My sincere condolences to Linda and the rest of Pete's family. Scott Wainwright

On behalf of the National Committee on Uniform Traffic Control Devices, we express our sincere condolences on Mr. Rusch's passing. Pete served on the Construction & Maintenance and Guide & Motorist Information Sign Technical Committees of NCUTCD, and served as chair of the Bicycle Technical Committee from 2000 to 2001. Pete was a voting member of the NCUTCD Council representing AASHTO for a number of years. He is fondly remembered and will be sincerely missed.

Pete was a true national leader in road safety. When he joined the FHWA Safety and Design Team, he became a mentor to all. He was a kind and wise person who was an absolute pleasure to work with and learn from. And he loved getting out on the road wherever he could to find ways to improve road safety. Sharing a photo of Pete in FL providing advice on making intersections safer.