Thaddeus S Dudka

Thaddeus “RT (Rad Thad)” Stanley Dudka, 63, of South Bend, Indiana, passed away Wednesday, June 6th, 2018.  

Thaddeus was born October 21,1954 in South Bend, Indiana to Walter and Maria (Pioro) Dudka.  On July 9th, 1984, in Biloxi, Mississippi, Thaddeus was united in marriage to Karen (née Kovach), who survives him.  He is also survived by his daughter Jennifer (Michael Cook) Dudka; his son Zachary (Samantha) Dudka; his grandchild Sloan Cook; two sisters, Helen Brosilo of Arizona and Janice (Larry) Lijewski of Florida; and two brothers, Edward (Julie) Dudka of Niles and Stanley (Nancy) Dudka of South Bend; sisters-in-law Julie (Paul) Howard of South Bend and Elaine (Mark) Flemming of South Bend; as well as many nieces and nephews.  

Thaddeus was employed by Lock Joint Tube for 32 years.  As an avid Notre Dame football fan, Saturdays in the fall were his favorite time of year. He was also a fan of the New York Yankees and the Chicago Bears, but he greatly enjoyed sports of any kind, and was always ready to talk about the latest game he watched and rattle off some stats.  When he wasn’t taking in a game, he loved to be in the kitchen cooking. One of his most famous dishes was the pierogis he made with his family recipe. Gardening was also a beloved pastime of his, and he was most proud of the tomatoes he grew every year. RT was always the life of the party, and he never missed an opportunity to remind others to “be cool like me.” He will be truly missed by all those who knew him.  

A celebration of Thaddeus’ life will be held from 4:00 PM to 8:00 PM on Monday, June 11th at Palmer Funeral Home-Guisinger Chapel 3718 S. Michigan Street South Bend, IN 46614.  Online condolences to the family may be sent to www.palmerfuneralhomes.com.  

To send flowers to the family, please visit our floral store.