It is the end of an era. Ronald “Chud” Chudzynski of Fernandina Beach, FL (by way of LaPorte, IN) passed suddenly on February 22, 2024.
How are we going to remember a guy who was larger than life? For all the years we knew him, he lit up every room he walked into and he never met a stranger. If you knew him, you loved him..and sometimes you didn’t due to his stubborn Polish side, that most of us saw from time to time. Good thing he had the other side of his sparkling personality to even things out.
Chud, being a passionate man, loved many things. First and foremost, he loved his girls. First is Mary, his loving wife of 53 years, who he often said he didn’t know what he would do without her. This is certainly true, as she regularly had to endure his questionable jokes and pranks and his ever-present colorful sense of humor. We recently learned that he almost lost Mary when, after dating for a few weeks, she called his car a Torino (Ford) instead of a Toronado (Oldsmobile). Apparently at her young age, she should have obviously known better, but she didn’t so he didn’t come around for a while. Luckily, he came to his senses and eventually she agreed to get back in his Toronado and the rest is history. They had two lovely daughters Joy (Jon), who lives “on the left coast” as Chud liked to say, and Annie, his more sensible daughter, who lives in Indiana. He also dearly loved his five grandchildren, Terryn, Trew, Julia, Lauryn and Violet. He loved to tell them stories, talk like Donald Duck, and play games with them when they were young, and was always happy to hear a fart joke or a story of some shenanigans engaged in by his grandchildren. It made him proud that they were carrying on his tendency for mischief.
Chud loved everything Purdue, and especially loved Purdue Football. We called the Spring Football guide his Bible. He knew every player, where they were from, their height and weight, and more. We knew we were expected to attend Purdue from a very early age, and were indoctrinated by way of several yearly football tailgates and campus tours. He and mom sponsored tailgates for us and our friends for nearly every home Purdue football game for six years. We have so many great memories of his love of life, our friends, and Purdue football. And if you hadn’t heard, Chud also liked to party. He didn’t meet a stranger. He welcomed friends and friends of friends with open arms and usually a beer, loved to BS and wanted to learn about people. He seemed to know everyone. Another town, didn’t matter; a neighboring state, no problem. This wasn’t the best for us through our middle school and teenage years, but we all got through it. There are countless stories about his antics before we were around, and we hope that some of those are shared here in his memory.
Chud graduated from LaPorte High School in 1961 along with many stories about pranks and high jinks. His surviving brother, Jim Chudzynski of LaPorte, has a steady stream of stories from their childhood and beyond, most of which highlight Chud’s humor, tendency for mischief, and his strong, stubborn personality. A word that always seems to come up about him is that he was so funny and how he always had a smile. Sometimes his humor was a bit “distorted” as his grade school teacher liked to say, and those of us that knew him well know she was right! During high school, he worked at Jim’s Grocery and played football for LaPorte and loved to recount stories of those days with his friends Groch, Tonsoni, Rempala, and Ernie. He then attended Ball State for a year, where he joined the Sig Ep fraternity and met his good friend Joe, who he caught up with later in life. Chud served in the Army in Korea in Nuclear Weapons from 1964-1966. He was a patriotic man, who took his work in the military and the job of our military very seriously until his last day. He was an active member of the Fernandina Beach VFW and American Legion, and spent many an afternoon in their company. To give you an idea of Chud’s presence, if you remember the TV show Cheers, when Norm walked in the bar…that was what it was like when Chud walked into any place he frequented. People knew they were up for a good conversation with some serious BS weaved in. After the Army, Chud worked at Alice Chalmers in LaPorte, and later took a job with the Whirlpool Corporation. He married Mary in 1971 and attempted to settle down. He then worked for NIPSCO in their training department. He was a natural with people and had no problem standing up in front of people telling them what to do, while making jokes along the way. He finished his college degree from Purdue University, and returned to Whirlpool Corporation, where he worked for almost 20 years, most of them in Sales & Marketing. At Whirlpool, he met one of his best friends, Guy, who has likely forgotten more stories about Chud than we will ever know. Guy and Chud worked together and raised their families together, and did a fair amount of raising hell together too.
After having enough of the cold LaPorte winters, he and Mary decided to move down to Fernandina Beach, Florida, where they could eventually retire in the sunshine, of “God’s Country” as he liked to call it. Actually, we think he thought anywhere he was was “God’s Country.” After 9-11, he decided he was done traveling and retired to happy hours with neighborhood friends, walks on the beach, trying new restaurants, visiting his children and grandchildren, and continuing to give our mom a run for her money with his pranks and jokes. He is proceeded in death by his beloved parents Frances and Ray Chudzynski.
Chud loved animals and had several throughout his life. He especially loved his Boxer dogs. Due to his love of the old actor and comedian W.C. Fields, four of our boxers were named WC, and they were all treated like family. The last one is called Bella, as Chud was convinced she was “just special.” We think it was an excuse to spoil her even more than the previous pups, which is hard to believe. He loved to sit in his Lazy Boy and watch the wildlife in his backyard, and would often recount what the squirrels and birds had been up to.
And finally, we would be remiss if we didn’t mention how much Chud loved FOOD! Seriously, he was a fan of a good meal. And he wasn’t too hard to please. Many of our conversations over the years would consist of him telling us about a restaurant they visited, what it was like, how his dish was prepared, and several other details. Then he could remember these details and dishes for years to come! Because he traveled a lot for work with Whirlpool, he was able to entertain clients at lots of fancy restaurants all over the country. Until the end, you could tell him a city you were in and he would tell you a good restaurant there, the type of food, who he was with and what he had. Over the last few years, one of his favorite traditions was Friday night dinner out with our mom and good friends Tom and Dianne. Food brings people together and he liked to be with people, eat good food, drink beer and have a good time. To honor Chud, we will have a “Cheers to Chud” celebration, which will be held this summer at the VFW in Fernandina Beach, FL. Details to follow via Facebook and by contacting the family.
So Chud, even though you could be an ornery, stubborn Polish person, we miss you dearly. We miss your love for us, which was without end. We miss your sense of humor, even though it sometimes made us cringe and laugh at the same time. We miss your delicious cooking of Chud Burgers, ribs, potato salad, chili, scrambled eggs with all the fixins and, of course, your polish sausage, sauerkraut and golumpki. We miss talking with you and hearing your old stories of mischief and pranks, and we miss our friends asking, “how is your dad” because you left such an impression on all the lives that you touched. You taught us that family was the most important thing, and you showed us your dedication to us every day. We hope you are relaxed and free from any pain, meeting up with old friends and family you haven’t seen in a while, and picking up where you left off. Until we meet again, we love you so much, and BOILER UP!
We have designated The John Purdue Club for memorial contributions in memory of Ron “Chud” Chudzynski. Please make donations online at https://www.purdueforlife.org/johnpurdueclub/
You can also make donations payable to The John Purdue Club and mail to Purdue Foundation, 403 W. Wood Street, West Lafayette, IN 47907.
Please share your memories and condolences at www.oxleyheard.com.
OXLEY-HEARD FUNERAL DIRECTORS