Rudolf P Urban

Rudolf Peter Urban (Rudy) was born April 9, 1939 in Wiesbaden, W. Germany and passed away after a sudden illness on January 14, 2025 surrounded by loving family members. He was the 7th born in a family of 12 children in wartime Germany where he and his siblings grew up respecting the importance of working hard for their survival. Naturally talented, Rudy attended art school in Mainz, Germany to hone his skills. In 1956 his family emigrated to the U.S.A. seeking the promise of the American dream in the hopes of better opportunities for their futures. Soon thereafter, not even a citizen of this country at the time, Rudy was drafted into the US Army, completing basic training at Fort Bliss, TX before being stationed at Fort Ord in Monterey, CA, where the Army put his artistic talents to work creating training aid posters and signs. Following his time in the Army, Rudy married and started his family in Fairfield where he would become known as a hard working entrepreneur. First, selling wigs at WonderWorld with his brother Peter and later opening Rudy’s Wig Shoppe, Urban’s Books & Cards and Emily’s Junior Bazaar with his sister, Emmi. All of the businesses became very successful, long time favorites in Downtown Fairfield. It was in 1971, however that Rudy paired his business acumen with his artistic talents as the owner of Western Sign Company which would become his life’s work and ultimately, his enduring legacy. Active with the F.a.S.T. Lions Club, Chamber of Commerce, Solano Yacht Club and later the Noon Lions, Rudy gave generously of his time and talents. He was past president of the F.a.S.T. Lions Club multiple times throughout the years and enjoyed making his mark as a leader in the community. Rudy managed to carve out enough time to frequently travel the globe, particularly enjoying cruises in the most recent years. He had a charismatic, outgoing personality that made him universally well-liked and his unique, unconventional sense of humor made him a popular and unforgettable character in town. Many long time friends would call Rudy “Snakeman”, a nickname that he often used to greet people with because he’d say it was a lot easier than remembering everyone’s name. An avid Porsche enthusiast his entire life, Rudy was an amateur auto racer from the 1960’s through the mid 1990’s racing in SCCA events at Sears Point Raceway in Sonoma and Laguna Seca in Monterey. This was a pursuit that he was quite passionate about, and his love of racing continued right up to the end of his days. He frequently watched NASCAR and Formula 1 races on T.V. He is survived by his wife- Karen Urban, Daughter- Holly Bobbitt (and her husband Kelle), step-daughter- Katie Bell, Grandchildren- Kyle Urban (and his wife Ashley) and Heather Baldwin (and her husband James). Step grandchildren- Brianna Bell and Cooper Bell and 3 great-grandchildren - Kynley Urban, Adecyn Urban and James Thomas Baldwin. He is also survived by his brothers -Lothar Urban (and his wife Gayle), Rolf Urban (and his wife Carol) and his sister - Ute Reed (and her husband Richard) as well as many, many nieces and nephews. He is preceded in death by his mother -Maria Davis and siblings -Erika, Peter, Liesel, Kurt, Rolly, Gerhard, Emmi & Ursula. A memorial service will be held at the KROC Center Chapel located at 586 E. Wigeon Way in Suisun City, CA at 11:00am on Friday, February 21st immediately followed by a celebration of life from 1:00pm-4:00pm at the Joseph Nelson Community Center located at 611 Village Dr. in Suisun City, CA.

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Rudolf P Urban

April 9, 1939 - January 14, 2025