WINNABOW, N.C.—Mimi Francis (Bullard) Rudy, 62, died on Monday, April 14, 2014, at Duke Regional Medical Center in Raleigh, N.C., of heart complications.

Mimi was a longtime resident of Syracuse, N.Y., moving to Courtland, Va., in 2006, and retiring to North Carolina in 2012.

Mimi was born in Syracuse on Jan. 1, 1952, the daughter of the late Robert L. Bullard and Mary (Francis) Bullard.

Mimi attended Lyncourt Junior High School and Solvay High School in Syracuse. She received her BA in theology from Rosary Hill College in Buffalo, N.Y. She received her MA in elementary education from SUNY Oswego.

She married her husband, John George Rudy, in 1980. The two forged a strong and loving household. Their hearts beat as one. Their abiding love was an example to all. The two retired to Wilmington, N.C. in 2012. They planned many more adventures together.

Mimi was a dedicated teacher. She taught at Assumption and Cathedral Schools in Syracuse, and served as a beloved substitute teacher in the Fabius-Pompey School District in Fabius, N.Y. After moving to Courtland, Mimi taught science at Southampton Middle School.

Mimi instilled her love of history in her only son, John Matthew Rudy. She shared with him her deep love of Abraham Lincoln and the Civil War. Mimi had an inquisitive mind and strong sense of curiosity.

Mimi is survived by her husband, John; her son, John, and his soon-to-be wife, Jessica Haines, both of Gettysburg, Pa.; and her brother, Robert L. Bullard Jr., and his wife, Barbara, of Lyman, S.C.; and several nieces and nephews. She leaves behind countless friends in Syracuse, Courtland and Wilmington.

Visitation is at Ballweg and Lunsford Funeral Home Inc., 2584 Field Lane, LaFayette, N.Y., on Monday, April 21, from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. The service celebrating her life will take place at Immaculate Conception Church, 7386 Academy St., Pompey, N.Y., on April 22, at 10:30 a.m.

To express sympathy, visit www.Ballweg-Lunsford.com.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Mimi’s name to the American Heart Association at donate.heart.org or to the Onondaga Historical Association, 321 Montgomery Street, Syracuse, NY 13202.