Filyes, Lawrence

Other Events:

• Reference Number: 5952
• News Mention: 29 Apr 2003; APC
• Obituary: 16 Jan 2005; apc

Notes:

News Mention:
Just as he's always done, Lawrence Filyes slides onto the stool smack in the center of the counter that runs the length of Rudy's Diner in Brillion.
As usual, Warren Engel, a plumber, sits to his left. And to Engel's left again sits the town's retired postmaster, who insists, "Oh, just call me Dutch."
The three have been coming into Rudy's for so long that they can't even remember when it wasn't part of their routine.
"Is it 30 years, 40 years?" Filyes mused.
"It's good camaraderie," said Dutch, nodding. "And you find out what's new. (We're in) at least once a day ... provided nothing else is pressing. It's a regular routine."
For more than 60 years, Rudy's Diner has been part of life in Brillion. And now, just as it's always been, it's a meeting place for friends to chat over coffee and a slice of pie, a comfortable spot for families to start the day over bacon, eggs and pancakes, or a welcome waystation for truckers or cyclists to dig into the meatloaf, mashed potatoes and gravy.
Real home cooking is both a promise and a tradition at Rudy's that apparently transcends time.
"The neat thing about the restaurant is that it's still small and has that small-town flavor and we've really tried to keep the consistency and quality of the food," said Rosemary Clarke, who co-owns the place with husband Kevin.
The Clarkes are only the second owners in the eatery's long history.
Rudolph Seljan -- or Rudy -- originally bought the place from his brother, Emil, for $825 back in 1939 when the sign outside said "hamburgers 5 cents." His first day of business, he took in $6.50.
He ran "Rudy's Cafe" for 50 years before finally turning it over to the Clarkes in 1989.
Talk to anybody about Rudy and it doesn't take long to get the picture.
Rudy was a gruff little man who wasn't afraid to snatch the newspaper out of a diner's hands and shoo him out of a seat if he didn't want anything else and other customers were waiting.
"And you didn't dare sit in a booth unless there were four of you. You just didn't do it," Rosemary said.
Rosemary recalled one occasion, when they'd been open about six months, when a man came in and sort of apologetically said, "I'm really hungry for a hamburger. Do you think it'd be OK if I had one?"
"Of course," she told him, somewhat puzzled by his tone. Turns out that Rudy had never liked to make hamburgers because it took too long and he couldn't work the customers through fast enough.
In perhaps cheeky irony, the burgers on the Clarkes' menu are called "Rudy's Hamburgers."
But if Rudy's manners may have been rough around the edges sometimes, his food always kept people coming back. It never pretended to be anything fancy but, gosh, it hit the spot.
And that, the Clarkes are proud to proclaim, hasn't changed.
"It's a landmark in this community," said Heather Zander, Brillion's community development director. "Rudy himself was just a neat old fellow and the new proprietors have taken that and gone with it. You know how much weight you can gain just sitting in that place? It's just great."
In 1993, the Clarkes remodeled, expanding the kitchen and bumping the diner's seating capacity from 27 to 44. To enhance the feel of an all-American diner, existing counter stools were rechromed and reupholstered rather than replaced with newer vintages. An old cooler from the 1930s still stands behind the counter.
"The only time we might have lost a few regulars was when we went non-smoking," Rosemary said. "We were the first restaurant in Calumet County to go non-smoking, back in about 1994."
Neither Rosemary nor Kevin grew up in Brillion -- Rosemary grew up in Seymour and Kevin hails from Australia -- but the town, its people and their tiny diner have so burrowed their way into their hearts that they can't imagine living anywhere else.
Rosemary was a former schoolteacher and Kevin was a banker in Green Bay when they took over Rudy's place.
"We were raising a young family and we just decided we wanted to get out of the larger city," Rosemary said. "I've always liked cooking, baking and I'd done private catering in Green Bay ... that was the niche that we thought we'd go into."
"Fourteen years later, we're still hard at it," Kevin said.
Typical of a small town, news always travels fast and Rudy's Diner is definitely in that loop.
"We usually hear it here," Rosemary said. "Sometimes it even starts here."
Neighbors and their comings and goings are familiar. The same goes for customers.
"They'll pull up in the driveway and we'll say, 'Two pancakes and crispy bacon just rolled in,'" Rosemary said. "You just get used to what they like. It's almost like an extended family.
"But that's part of the reason we came to a small town because we like that closeness. We like to know the people that live next door or in the town. I think that's the way to raise a family."
Seljan died in 1993 at age 80 but there are still moments when his ghost lurks around the corner at Rudy's.
"Sometimes we'll yell back and forth and customers will say, 'Boy, it's just like Rudy's here,'" Rosemary said.
"Rudy was a legend and he was a legend because he had a small little place that served good food ... and he took care of his customers," she said. "In that way, we feel as though we can successfully carry on that whole feel of what Rudy's is all about."
Just save that center spot at the counter for Filyes.
The Post - Crescent; Appleton, Wis. [Appleton, Wis]29 Apr 2003: E.6.

Obituary:
Lawrence Filyes, 89, 211 Dewey St., Brillion, died on Saturday, Jan. 15, 2005 at Ledge View Nursing Home in De Pere. He was born on Nov. 26, 1915 in Brillion, son of the late George and Hattie (Kloehn) Filyes. He married Helen Danke on Aug. 2, 1952 in Brillion. Lawrence bought, sold and trucked grain for many years. He attended Faith Alliance Church in Chilton for many years and was a member of the Christian Businessmen's Committee; he served on the board of Lake Lundgren Bible Camp, and was a friend to many missionaries, as well as the Moody Bible Institute in Chicago.
Survivors include his wife Helen; a son and daughter-in-law, Paul and Patty Filyes of Green Bay; four grandchildren, Heather, David, Brian, and Teresa; a sister Harriet Schultz of Sun Prairie; and a nephew Don Schultz of Madison.
He was preceded in death by his parents.
Funeral service will be held on Wednesday, Jan. 19 at 11 a.m. at the Wieting Funeral Home in Brillion. The Rev. Leon Jensen will officiate. Burial will be in the Brillion Community Cemetery.
Friends may call at the Wieting Funeral Home in Brillion on Wednesday from 9 a.m. until the time of service.
In lieu of flowers, memorial may be directed to the Moody Bible Institute in Lawrence's name.
The Post - Crescent; Appleton, Wis. [Appleton, Wis]16 Jan 2005: C.4.

Lawrence married Dahnke, Helen M. Aft 1933. Helen was born 30 Dec 1913; died 25 Feb 2009; was buried , Forest Home Cemetery, Forest Junction, Wisconsin, USA. [Group Sheet]