Rusty was born in Youngstown, Ohio on October 1, 1941. At the age of seven she and her older sister, Patricia, moved to a small farm in eastern Oklahoma to be raised by their grandparents. After earning an associate degree from a junior college in Wilburton, OK she moved to Oklahoma City. There she began work with Texaco and while there met her future husband, Dirk, a petroleum geologist. In 1968 they married, eventually had two sons, Cordell born in Oklahoma City, and Sandor born in Amarillo, Texas, and began the gypsy life of an oil-business family. Over the course of their 57-year marriage they moved ten times, residing in Oklahoma, Texas, California, Guatemala City, and Quito, Ecuador, finally settling in Albuquerque in 1986. In Albuquerque she held secretarial jobs while her husband worked as a contractor with Sandia Labs and did consulting work. For the next 39 years they lived in Albuquerque, established roots, made new friends, and traveled all over the US.

Rusty is survived by her husband Dirk, son Cordell and wife living in Morelia, Mexico, son Sandor and his family living in Albuquerque, and sister Patricia and brother-in-law living in Oklahoma City. Services will be private.